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^'-JW.'J-^*

fe\?

THE LIFE AND TIMES

KATERl TEKAKWITHA

gTu Situ ot tTtje ©toltawlis.

1 6 56- 1 680.

ELLEN H. WALWORTH,

AUTHOR OF " AN OLD WORLD, AS SEEN THROUGH YOUNG EYES.'

t-S.:

BUFFALO:

PETER PAUL & BROTHER.

1893.

:?'

PBTBR PAUL « BRO.,

PRINTBRS AND BINDERS,

BUFFALO, N. Y.

■' f8723r-

> 'aSsi

'-1

THE REV. CLAHENCE A. WALWORTH,

BECTOB OF 8T. MARY'S CBCBCB,
ALBANY, N.Y.,

f?>

THIS VOLUME 19 MOST AFFECTIOXATKI.Y
DEDICATED.

PREFACE.

The life and surroundings of '^Tlie Lily of the
Mohawks/' as au undeveloped theme in literature, was
first suggested to me by my uncle, the Rev. Clarence A.
Walworth. My interest and enthusiasm were at once
aroused. The thought of a mere Indian girl reared in the
forest among barbarians, yet winning for herself such
titles as "The Lily of the Mohawks" and "The Gene-
yieve of New France," recurred to my mind again and
again, until it led me to a fixed determination to explore
so tempting a field of romance and archaeology. The
fact that it lay amongst the hills and valleys of my
native State, and was little known except to solitary
scholars and laborious historians, incited me still more to
the task. I became ambitious to gather from the records
of two centurie« ago every detail relating in any way to
my Indian heroine. While engaged in this work un-
expected opportunities opened to gather exact informa-
tion about her, and more especially concerning the
localities connected with her early childhood, and her
conversion and baptism in the Mohawk Valley.

If this book, embodying the result of my researches,
should fail to interest the reader, it will not be for any
lack of enthusiasm on my part, or of kind encourage-
ment and competent assistance from others.

PHKKACE.

Whon beginning the work my first call for advice won
upon Dr. John Gilmary Shea, so well versed in Indian
annals, as also in the general history of this country. I
found him full of interest in my subject. Guided by
the information received from him, and also by the
directions of the Rev. R. S. Dewey, S. J., who has long
been familiar with the missionary and Indian traditions
of the Mohawk Valley, I went to Montreal and secured
from the courteous kindness of Father Turgeon, S. J.,
rector of the Jesuit College there, the use of all the
manuscrii>ts I desired. The Sisters of the Hotel Dieu
furnished me with a room in their hospital, to which the
good Rector allowed me to transport the entire Carton
0. This contained all the unprinted materials relating
to my subject that belonged to the college library.

There, at the Hotel Dieu, delightfully located with
the sisters of an order whose history is closely bound up
with that of Montreal, I copied at my leisure the manu-
scripts most valuable to me.

In Montreal, also, my good fortune gave me interviews
with M. Cuoq, the distinguished philologist of St.
Sulpice, whose Indian dictionaries and grammars I had
already seen in my uncle's library. Much I owe besides
to Soeur St. Henriette, librarian and keeper of the
archives at the Villa Maria. It was on the boat which
shoots the Lachine Rapids that I met Mr. Kale of Phila-
delphia, the learned author of the *' Iroquois Book of
Rites,'' and enjoyed a long conversation with him on
matters of deep interest to us both and to my work.
My first visit to the Iroquois Village at Caughnawaga,
P. Q., occurred at this time. Here my uncle and I found

t;l

(.■^1

1 1

i i

PREFACK.

Vll

-•

^ J

hospitable eatertainmcnt for several days at the Presby-
tery of the church, presided over by the Rev. P6ro
Burtin, 0. M. I. Besides the valuable information
acquired from the library of books and manuscripts in
his possession, I gathered much from the acquaintance
then established with the Iroquois of the "Sault'*and
in particular with their grand chief, Jos^^ph Williams.

La Prairie was only nine miles disttint, with its
scholarly cure, Pere Bourgeault, and his valuable collec-
tion of ancient maps ; and about half way between
Oaughnawaga and La Prairie lay the grave of Tekak-
witha, with its tall cross looking over the rapids of the
St. Lawrence. An author with a theme like mine in
such localities and with such guides was, indeeu, in an
enchanted land.

In Albany I received valuable assistance and advice
from Mr. Holmes and Mr. Howell, of the State Library,
also from Mr. Melius, of the City Clerk's Office, and
others.

I have reserved for a most especial and grateful
acknowledgment the name of Gen. John S. Clark, of
Auburn, N. Y. My work is indebted to him for a
treasure of information which he alone could give. In
the knowledge of Iroquois localities in New York State,
particularly those of two centuries ago, and the trails
over which missionaries from Canada travelled so pain-
fully to villages where they labored so hard and yet
successfully., — ^he is the undoubted pioneer. Almost all
we know in this branch of archaeology is owing to him.
It was my privilege in company with my uncle, and
with Gen. Clark for pilot, to spend a memorable week in

• ••

Vlll

PRKFACK

search of Indian localities along the Mohawk, frcm the
mouth of Schoharie Greek to the farthest castle of the
wolf clan opposite Fort Plain. We visited and verified,
under the Oenerars direction, no less than eleven sites
in this one week. An account of tho most important of
these sites can be found in the o; atributions of Gen.
Olark, as explanatory footnotes, to ** Early Chapters of
Mohawk History." This work consists of translations
into English of selected letters from the Relations
Jesuitea. For these translations we are indebted to the
lamented Dr. Hawley, late pastor of the First Presby-
terian Ghurch in Auburn. Guided by the wise advice
of General Clark, I was able afterwards to make other
independent journeys, and familiarize myself with Indian
trails passing near my native town, above all those fol-
lowed by Tekakwitha in her escape to the ''Sault.'^
I owe to Gen. Clark's kindness the valuable map of
Mohawk Castle Sites, to be found in this book and drawn
expressly for it by his hand.

Lastly, I recall with pleasure a conversation with the
Rev. Felix Martin, S. J., a well known authority in
Canadian and Indian archsBology. To this venerable
author, the editor of the famous "Jesuit Relations,*' the
biographer of Isaac Jogues, of Chomonot and of Tekak-
witha, I owe a large debt of gratitude. His biography
of her, entitled *'Une Vierge Iroquoise," is still in
manuscript, never having been published. He "was the
first to gather and keep together all the manuscripts
extant giving cotemporary accounts of the Iroquois
maiden. He laid a foundation of accumulated facts for
others to build upon. I sought him out in Paris ir. 1885.

1. *<

I'UEFACK.

"4i

and found him with some difficulty. The hiding place
of this learned old man was in an obscure comer of the
city. The schools of his order all broken up, separated
from his companions, his books and his manuscripts,
and from his old beloved home in the New France, which
he would never see again, — how his eyes glistened when
I came to nim from the western world, a child of the
Hudson and Mohawk, to speak to him of Tekakwitha,
bringing him even the latest news of archaaological
discoveries in those vallejj! His face beamed with
delight at every new detail. It plec;sed him much to
know that Dr. Shea was, at that very time, translating
into English his (Martin's) French Life of Jogues, and
to learn that I was writing, and hoped soon to have
published a full account of Eateri Tekakwitha for my
own countrymen of the United States. He gave his
blessing to me and to my work, a blessing which I prize
most highly. His hearty approval is especially gratify-
ing, since I have had occasion to use much of the
material he had gathered for publication in French
under his own name. Alas! scarcely had I recrossed the
Atlantic, when the news of his death reached me.

In conclusion, let me say : I am conscious of many
defects in this work. Others may yet be found better
able than I to do justice to my theme, but not any one,
I think, who will come to the task more anxious to make
known to all the whole truth of history concerning the
rare and beautiful character of this lily of our forest.

Albany, N. Y., January a, 1891.

( V

co:j^tents.

•■ (■

PAOB

CHAPTEB

I. Tekakwitha'8 Spring 1

II. The Mohawk Valley and the Mohawks at

THE Time of Tekakwitha's Birth , . . 12

III. A Cradle-Song. — Captives Tortured.—
Flight of the French from Onondaga. —
Death in the Mohawk Lodges .... 26

IV Tekakwitha with her Aunts at Ganda-

wague . .

V. Tekakwitha's Uncle and Fort Orange, or

THE Beginnings of Albany ..... 44

VI. An Army on Snow-Shoes ^2

VII. De Tracy burns the Mohawk Castles.—

Fall of Tionnontogen 75

VIII. Tekakwitha's Christian Guests. — Rawen-

NIIO ^^

IX. Caughnawaqa on the Mohawk. — Fathers

Fremin and Pierron 96

X. The Mohegans attack the New Castle.
— Battle of Kinaquariones. — The Feast
of the Dead .... ^^^

XI. Will Tekakwitha Marry? .... 128

XII. The New Colony of Christian Indians on
THE St. Lawrence. — The "Great Mo-
hawk " goes to Canada 142

Xll CONTENTS.

CHAPTEU : SOI

XIII. Tekakwitha meets De Lamberville. —

Imposing Ceremony in the Bark Chapel 152

XIV. Persecutions. — Heroic Calmness in a Mo-

ment OF Peril. — Malice of Teka-
kwitha's Aunt 163

XV, Hot Ashes plans Tekakwitha's Escape . 174

XVI. From the Old to the New Cauohnawaqa 183

XVII. At the Sault St. Louis 192

XVIII. The Huntug-Camp 206

XIX. Kateri's Friend, — Th^rese Tegaiaguenta 216

XX. Montreal and the Isle-aux-Herons, 1678 226

XXI. «♦ I am not any longer my own " . . . . 243

XXII. Kateri's Vow on Lady Day, and the St m-

MER of 1679 253

XXIII. Kateri III. — Th^rese "consults the Black-

gown. — Feast of the Purification. —
The Bed of Thorns 260

XXIV. Kateri's Death. — "I will love thee in

heaven!" — The Burial. — Her Grave
AND Monument 270

XXV. The Memory and Influence of Kateri
Tekakwitha after her Death. — Mod-
ern Caughnawaga 285

conclcsion 233

APPENDIX.
Notes, Topographical and Historical .

• 4 •

301

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Tekakwitha'9 Spring

The Mohawk Valley from Foxda, N.Y

Map of Mohawk Castle-Sites, by General Claak
Old Albany. —Dominie Schaats' House . . . .
Site of Caughnawaga Castle, Fonda, N. Y. . . .
Map showing the Migrations of the Mission Vil-
lage OF the Sault

Street Scene at Caughnawaga, in Canada . . .
Modern Caughnawaga, P. Q. {from the Landing) . .

PAflE

xvi
6

38
52

103

194
279
299

. Il

li:

i^ii

s '

THE LIFE AND TIMES

KATERI TEKAKWITIIAJ

CHAPTER I.

tekakwitha's spring.

IN the valley of the Mohawk, near the present great
highways of the State of New York, is a quiet forest
nook, where a clear, cold spring gurgles out from the
tangled roots of a tree. Connected with this spring is
the story of a short girl-life, pure, vigorous, sorrow-
taught. It is written out in authentic documents ;
while Nature, also, has kept a record of an Indian
maiden's lodge beside the spring. There on the banks
of the Mohawk River, at Caughnawaga, now called
Fonda, in Montgomer County, dwelt the Lily of the
Mohawks two centuries ago, when the State had neither
shape nor name. She saw her people build a strong,
new palisaded village there. She saw, though at rare
intervals, the peaceful but adventurous traders of Fort

1 Pronounced Katf-e-re(f Tek-a-quee'-ta. Kateri is the Iroquois form
of thfc Christian name Kather,.ie. The meaning of Tckakwitha is given
in Chapter IV. For various ways of spelling the nurie, see Appendix,
Note B.

2 KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

Oranj^e, niul the l)lackgow.:s of New France pass in and
out on Iriendly eiiands. Moliegans came there also iii
her day to lay siege to the village, but only to be met
with fierce defiance and to be driven back. Marks of
that very Indian fort can still be found at Fonda, where
the Johnstown Railway now branches from the New
York Central, and turns northward along the margin of
the Cayudutta Creek. The smoke of the engine, as it
leaves the town of Fonda, mounts to the le\'el of a
plateau on which the Mohawk Castle ^ stood. The
elevated land, or river terrace, at that point is singu-
larly called the " Sand Flats."

A rude fort of palisades, well equipped for defence,
was completed about the year 1668 on a narrow tongue
of this high terrace, between the Mohawk River and the
creek. The approach to it is very steep ; but in one
place a wagon-road winds up the hill to what is now a
field on Veeder's farm. Here unmistakable signs of
Indian occupation are to be found. A spring is close at
hand in a cluir.p of trees. The castle at that spot was
known as " Caughnawaga," meaning " At the Rapids," —
a name still applied to the eastern part of the present
town of Fonda. The Mohawk River runs swiftly as it
passes this spot, and large stones obstruct its course.
The spring at the castle site on the west side of the
creek is Tekakwitha's spring; for there beside it she
grew to maidenhood, behind the shelter of the palisades,
and beneath the shadow of the overarching forest.

> The Indian forts or palisaded villages, called " castles " by the
early Dutch settlers of New York State, were stoutly built of logs and
bark, and were effectual barriers of defence until the artillery of the
white men was brought to bear upon them.

TEKAKWITHA'S Sl'HlNti.

Tekakwitha was the Lily of the Mohawks, and after-
wards known as " La lioune Catherine."

In the Mohawk Valley, the great artery of our na-
tion's life, the tide of human travel now ebbs and ilows
with ever-swelling force ; here the New York Central
Itailway levels out its course of four broad tracks ; here
the great canal bears heavy burdens east and west ; here
the West Shore Railway skirts the southern terrace ;
here the Mohawk liiver winds and ripples, smiling in
an old-time, quiet way at these hurrying, crowded high-
ways. They have wellnigh filled the generous road-
way, cut through high plateaus and mountain spurs in
ages past by this same placid river. That was in its
younger, busier days. Now it idles on its way from
side to side, among the flats or bottoms, with here and
there a rapid, till at last it gathers force at far Cohoes
for one great plunge before it joins the Hudson. Then
the mingled waters of the two rivers sweep on past the
stately Capitol, where once the Indian trading-post,
Fort Orange, stood. From Albany, the broad-bosomed
Hudson bears floating palaces and long lines of canal-
boats strung together like great beads of wampum.
Let its current move them southward, while we turn
back to the valley whence these strings of wampum
came. Let us follow up the windings of the Mohawk
Eiver westward. At Schenectady it lingers among
islands in pretty, narrow ways, where college boys can
take their sweethearts rowing. Right playfully it kisses
the feet of the old Dutch town in summer, and in
winter its frozen bosom sounds with the merry thud of
the skater's steel. Farther west the valley narrows,
and on a height near Hoffman's Ferry, Mohawk and

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

(ill'

m '

Mohegau fought their last fierce battle. Tekakwitha
heard their war-whoop at the castle of Caughnawagu,
just before the final conflict came ; but she never saw
Fort Johnson, which is higher up the river. Old Fort
Tohnson is too modern for our story. Amsterdam now
looms up an important factor in the valley. Two cen-
turies ago a joyous stream cascading down to meet the
Mohawk was its only landmark. Tekakwitha knew
the spot, however, and had good reason to remember it»
as we shall see. Westward still, and up the valley from
Fort Johnson, a broader gleam of water comes in sight.
It is where the Schoharie River creeps in from the
south between the dripping archways of a bridge, over
which canal-boats pass. Here the Mohawk shows its
teeth in a ridge of angry rapids ; and here we enter
what was once the home country of its people, the fierce
Mohawks. We are near the spot where brave Father
Isaac Jogues, the discoverer of Lake George, was kiDed,
in 1646. In the southwest angle of the Mohawk and
Schoharie Rivers, on the upper terrace, higher than the
modern hamlet of Auriesville, was the eastern castle of
the Mohawks, known to Jogues as Ossemenon.^ Here
three times the hero-hearted blackgown came ; first,
a mangled, tortured captive, dragging out the weary
months in slavery until the Dutchmen at Fort Orange
ransomed him ; next, as an ambassador of peace, bearing
presents, making treaties ; and lastly, as envoy of the

1 ^legapolensis, the Dutch dominie at Fort Orange, who befriended
Jogues, the French Jesuit, in his captivity, writes the name of this Mo-
hawk town or castle, Asserue or Asserne. It was just at the spot where
a shrine has been recently erected to honor the memory of Isaac Joguea
and of his companion Rene Goupil, both of whom were tomahawked in
that vicinity by the Mohawks.

»:

< a

ti
If

TEKAKWITHAVS SPRING. 5

Prince of Peace, and wedded to his " spouse of blood," —
for so Jogucs styled his Mohawk mission. Never wus
a truer bridegroom, never stranger wedding rites. Bits
of his flesh were cut off and devoured, while the savage
high-priest cried, " Let us Sfco if this white flesh is the
flesh of an otkon [spirit or devil.]" " I am but a man
like yourselves," said Jogues, " though I fear not death
nor your tortures." His head was placed on the north-
ern palisade, looking toward the French frontier, and
his body thrown into the stream ; but his blood an<l
his earnest words sank deep into the land and the heaits
of its people. From Jogues' mystic union with the
Mohawk nation, trooping from the "Mission of the
Martyrs," came the Christian Iroquois. One of these —a
bright soul in a dusky setting, and a flower that sprang
from martyr's blood — was Tekakwitha, She grew up,
says one who knew her, "like a lily among thorns."
Ten years after Ondessonk ^ had shed the last drop of
his blood to make these Mohawks Christians, she was
born among the people who had seen the blackgown
•die, in the Village of the Turtles, — some say in the
" cabin at the door of which the tomahawked priest
had fallen."

This same stronghold of the Turtles was rebuilt higher
up the river during Tekakwitha's lifetime. Near Osser-
nenon, the earliest known site of the Turtle Castle, there
is a great bend or loop in the Mohawk River and Val-
ley. It extends from the mouth of the Schoharie River
on the east to the "Nose" near Yost's and Spraker's Basin
on the west. The Nose is at a point where river, rail-
ways, and canal are crowded in a narrow pass between

i * Jogiies' Indinn name.

KATKKI TKKAKWITIIA.

two ovcvlfii)i)iii<,' ridgt'S of lii^'h land. " Two Mountain*
iipldoiicliin^'," or Tioiinontogon, ilio Iiidiiins calloi] it ;
mill thore l)eliind the .shelter of the hills, tliey built their
liiigest and best fortified town, the Mohawk capital or
Castle of the Wolves. Other villages and their central
Castle of the liears, called Andagoron, they also built
and rebuilt within the great bend. At its northern
point, where the river now Hows between the high-
peruhed Starin residence and the town of Fonda, the
next important railway-station west of Amsterdam, are
the rapids antl the large stones in the water which gave
ri.se to the name of Caughnawaga. From the hills at
Fonda one can see for miles both up and down the
river.

Here, as has already been said, just west of Fonda,
on the north side of the Mohawk is the Indian vil-
lage si'.j where Tekakwitha lived. Here is the beau-
tiful hill that was once crowned by the palisaded castle
of Caughnawaga. It is a spot that any one who lived
there must liave loved. To-day the plough turns np the
rich soil where long Indian cabins stood, and what we
see are only darkened patches left to tell us where the
hearthfires of the Mohawks burned two hundred years
ago. These patches of dark soil still glister with the
pearly mussel-shells brought up by the Mohawks to
their village from the river that still bears their name.
The pipe-stems sold to tliem by the Dutch are strewn
in fragments through the field. From graves near by,
thrown out on the roadside by the spades of workmen
loading their carts with sand, the author has seen Indian
bones, more crumbled than the silly beads and rusty
scissors buried with them, which they bought so dearly.

'In

nli

il t; :

i s

•**

^"^

TKKAKWITIIAS Sl'KlNO.

Ill u W(KmI near l>y, «jn tliu brow of a mviuo, tlieru is u
row of hollow corn-jnts wliuru tlio Ciiu^'himwui^u itenplo
stored tlioir charrctl corn. Low down in tlio fortilo
river-iliits, southward from tliu ancient village-site, n
sunburned farmer, owner of both hill and valley, still
works with horses and with iron implements the very
corn-lields that the st^uaws hoed with clumsy bone-tools.
Tlii/j once castled height breaks abruptly on its eastern
side to let the Cayudutta Creek wind through. It hur-
ries by on its way to meet the Mohawk, and then lags
through the flat, lost to sight just long enough to pass
rcimd the skirts of the Ta-berg, or Tea Mountain. This
in a grassy cone topped with pines, and so named by
Dutch settlers who there in war-times made a tea
from a wild plant. It partly blocks the entrance to
the pretty Cayudutta valley, and separates it from the
modern town of Fonda ; but the farmers' daughters and
the village people who now live in sight of Fonda
Court House know well the little valley of the Cayu-
dutta. Any one of them can point out its brightest
gem, the never-failing spring that issues from a set-back
in the hill and so regular in shape as to suggest an am-
phitheatre. This spring wells out from under an old
stump hidden in a clump of trees, whose topmost
branches are below the level of the castle site. Its
waters rest a moment in a little shady pool, a round
forest mirror; then brimming over, break away and
wander down the steep descent to the creek. The path
to the spring leads downward from the higher ground
above it, known as the Sand Flats. The field where
the castle stood is now often planted thick with grain ;
but when this has been cut and the ground again

KATEHI TKKAKWITIIA.

1;:,

ploughed, the Indian relics are readily found. At any
season of the year, however, the limpid spring that has
not ceased to How for centuries will serve to indicate
the spot.

Standing then, at the brink of this spring in the
Mohawk Valley, let the reader cast a look backward,
and over the intervening space of two hundred years,
to the days of Tekakwitha, Let it be understood, how-
ever, that while the imaginative faculty is thus to be
called into play, it is not for the contemplation of an
imaginative but of a real character. For whatever side
lights may color the narrative, they are used to bring
out, not to impair, the picture. Many details of time
and place, of manners and customs, of dress and the
arts of industry, will be woven into an actual scene,
rather than given in a tedious enumeration.

The scene about to be described and others which fol-
low depicting the early life of Tekakwitha are not to be
found actually recorded in so many words in the history
of her life and times, yet they must have occurred ; for
they are based on the known facts of her life as related
in various official and private documents, together with
such inferences only as may fiiirly and reasonably be
drawn from those facts when brought under the strong
light of contemporaneous records.

Above the spring at Fonda, on the high plateau where
is now the well-tilled farm, stood, two centuries ago,
the log-built palisades of ancient Caughnawaga. In
tall and close-set ranks they serve to hide from view
and shield from ambush the long, low Indian houses,
twenty-four in number. "Double stockadoed round,
with four ports," as when the traveller Greenhalgh saw

T^:KAKWIT^A'S SPRING.

the place in 1677, "and a bow-shot from the river,"
stands the strong Mohawk castle. The blackened
stumps that now dot the sunny hillside of the Cayu-
dutta change into the old-time, mighty forest, and pre-
sent a scene that is full of life ; for down a well-worn
footpath come the Indian girls to fill their jugs at
the spring, — afterwards to be known as Tekakwithu's
Spring.

These dusky Caughnawaga maidens have the well-
known Indian features strongly marked, — the high cheek
bones, the dull red skin, and soft dark eyes ; but Tuka-
kwitha shields ners with her blanket from the light. Un-
like the rest, there is au air of thoughtfulness about her
and a touch of mystery. Excessive shyness in the Lily
of the Mohawks is strangely blended with a sympa-
thetic nature ; and with a quiet force of character she
leads their chatter, half unconsciously, to channels of
her own choosing.

" A manuscript of the time," says Shea, " describes the
Indian maiden with her well-oiled and neatly parted
hair descending in a long plait behind, while a fine che-
mise was met at the waist by a neat and well-tvimmed
petticoat reaching to the knee ; below this was the rich
legging and then the well-fitted moccasin, the glory of
an Iroquois belle. The neck was loaded with beads,
while the crimson blanket enveloped the whole form."

This, in general, is the costume of the meny group
with Tekakwitha at the spring. The upper garment,
however, is a kind of tunic or simple overdress ; nor
can it be said that all are equally neat in their appear-
ance. Some have their dark, straight hair tied loosely
back and hanging down, or else with wampum braided

KATE lil TKK A K W ITII A.

V ,i

in it. A few are clo,:lietl iu tbreij^ni stuff, bought fiuiu
the Dutch for beaver-skius aucl woiii in shapeless pieces
hung about theui witli savaj'e carelessness. On tli<ur
dark arms the suulight Hashes back from heavily beaded
wrist and arm bands, begged or borrowed from their
more industrious companions. Not like theirs is Te-
kakwitha'fc costume. It is made of deer and moose
skins, — all of native make, and stitched together by a
practised hand, as every one of the pretty squaws well
knew. Her needle was a small bone from the ankle of
the deer, her thread the sinews of the same light-footed
animal, whose brain she mixed with moss and used to
tan the skins and make the soft brown leather which
she shaped so deftly into tunic, moccasins, and leggings.
Her own skirt was scarce so richly worked with quills,
of the porcupine as that of her adopted sister there
beside her, though both were made by Tekakwitha's
hands.

The Indian girls about her like her for her generous
nature and lier merry, witty speeches. She makes
them laugh riglit heartily while she stands waiting for
her jug to till up at tlie trickling spring.

These daughters of the Iroquois are bubbling over
with good spirits, and their pottery jugs with water,
when all at once they spy a band of hunters coming
homeward down the Cayudutta valley from the Sacon-
daga country. Knowing there is one among them wlio
but waits his chance to lay his wealth of beaver-skins
at Tekakwitha's feet and take her for his wife, they turn
girl-like to tease her ; but the quick and timid orphan,,
dreading the license of their tongues, has bounded up
the hill, and hastens to her uncle's cabin with her jug»

TEKAKWITIIA'S SPUING.

leaving her companions to bandy words with the youug
hunte'-s as they stop beside the little pool for a draught
of refreshing water.

Of all the people in the ancient Caughnawaga village,
the only story that has been written out in full and
handed down in precious manuscript, brown witli age,
is the story of her who bounded up the hill and left her
comrades at the spring. In a double sense she left
theia She was far above them. She stands to-day
upon a mystic height ; and many, both of her race and
our own in tbese our days, do homage to her memory.

May he home at Caughnawaga, high above the
stone3 that lie imbedded in tiie Mohawk Eiver, and
close beside the spring that trickles downward to the
Cayudutta,^ soon become familiar ground to all who
honor Tekakwitha !

1 See Appendix, Note A, where in a letter dated March 3, 1885,
Gen. John S. Clark, of Auburn, N. Y., the well-known archseologist,
mentions this spring as marking the site of Gandawague (or Cauglinii-
waga) on the Cayudutta Creek, northwest of Fonda, N. Y. For date
of the removal from Auriesville to that site, see his letter of June 2'J,
1885, also given in Note A, with other proofs as to the location of Mo-
tawk villages at the time of Jogues and Tekakwitha.

KATEUl TEKAKWITHA.

II''

Ni:

CHAPTER 11.

THE MOHAWK VALLEY AND THE MOHAWKS aT THE TIME

OF tekakwitha's birth.

FATHER JOGUES was put to death in the year
1646, on the south side of iihe Mohawk River,
a few miles to the eastward of Fonda, and not far from
the mouth of the Schoharie River. Close to the shrine
\ which has been erected at Auriesville in his memory, is
^ the very ravine in which, during his captivity there, he
buried his friend and only companion, Rdu^ Goupil.

R^nd, it will be remembered, was cruelly murdered
for signing an Indian child with the sign of the cross.
The description of the place where this occurred is
very explicit in Father Jogues' published letters, and
there is no other spot in the whole Mohawk Valley to
which it can well be applied. He mentions a certain
river which was a quarter of a league distant from the
Indian town of Ossernenon, where he was held captive ;
this was undoubtedly the Schoharie. There in that
same vicinity, after he had escaped from captivity and
returned to the Mohawks as a missionary, he met his
own trfigic fate, or rather the glorious reward of his
zeal. There, too, or very near there, ten years after
his death, Tekakwitha was born. The exact location
of her birthplace has not been determined. It was
either at the Turtle Castle of Ossernenon described by

J-

.1:1! !':

THE MOHAWK VALLEY.

Jogues, the name of which was afterwards changed, or
at a later village site near Auries Creek, to which the
people of that castle moved, and to which they gave
the name of Gandawague.* In either case her birth-
I place was less than a mile from the present hamlet of
Auriesville. f

There Kateri Tekakwitha was born in the year 1656.
Her father was a Mohawk warrior, and her mother
a Christian Algonquin captive, who had been brought
up and baptized among the French settlers at Three
Eivers in Canada. The Iroquois, or People of the Long
House, including the Moliawks, Oneidas, Ououdagas,
Cayugas, and Senecas, were enemies of the Algon-
quin tribes and hostile to the French.

The Mohawks especially were accustomed to make
frequent raids on the settlements in Canada, leaving
desolation behind them on the St. Lawrence, and bear-
ing with them to their own valley rich booty, and also
Cu-ptives to be tortured and burned, or else adopted into
the Five Nations of Iroquois to swell their numbers.
If Frenchmen, these captives were often held as prison-
ers of war, and haughty terms made for their ransom.
It happened on one of these raids into Canada that
Tekakwitha's mother, the Algonquin, was thus cap-
tured. Torn suddenly from a peaceful home and the
French friends who were teaching her " the prayer,"
she was hunied through the lakes and woods of a
strange country, along the great war-trail that leads
from the St. Lawrence to the Mohawk through north-
eastern New York. Fast following in the path of

* See Appendix, Note B, — the words "Gandawague" and "Teka-
kwitha."

KATERI TKKAKWITIIA.

|l:

w :.

if Hi

Ji ■; 'i
isSi I '

lll.ii;

Jogues, the light canoe thiit bore lier came southward

witli the bravi's, and their tro[jhie.s of war, through

Lake Chaiuphiin and then Lake George, the newly

/ christened Lake St. Sacrament. Little did the captive

dream that ever a child of hers would take that same

long journey back again, an exile from the home that

she was then approaching, all unconscious of her fate.

A home, indeed, awaited her coming in the land of the

'Mohawks. She was saved from the torture and the fire

\ by a fierce, pagan Mohawk warrior, who took the young

Algonquin for his wife. The gentle girl had captured

the heart of her conqueror.

Their famiiy consisted of one son and an infant
daughter, known later as Kateri Tekakwitha. Pfere
Claude Chauchetifere, who wrote in 1695,^ tells us that
they dwelt at " Ganda^'-^ague, a little village of the Mo-
liawks." There they must have occupied one section of
an Iroquois long-house, other kindred families filling up
its entire length on both sides of an open space and
passage-way through the centre. The occupants of
every four sections or alcoves in these houses, two
families being on each side of the passage, shared a
V common hearthfire,^ with a hole above it in the roof to
\ let in the daylight and let out the smoke. There were
usually five of these fires and twenty families in a house
about a hundred feet in lengtli. These united house-

1 Chauchetike's manuscript, " La Vie de la B. Catherine Tegakoiiita,
dite a present La Saincte Sanuagesse," is still extant. It was copied by
the author of this volume at Montreal in 1 884, and was first printed in
1887: "Manate, De la Presse Cramoisy de Jean-Marie Shea."

2 See Vol. IV., Contributions to American Ethnology, by Lewis H.
Morgan, LL.D., giving description and ground plan of an Iroquois
long-house.

THK MOHAWK VALLKV

liolds gave name and meaning to the Iroquois League
of Kanonsiouni, or People of the Long House.

There is reason to believe that Tekakwitha's father
took an active part in the affairs both of the Mohawk
nation and tlie Iroquois League. We are told, indeed,
that after his death her uncle, who seems to have taken
her father's place and responsibilities, was one of the chief
men of the Turtle Castle, whose deputies ranked higher in
council than tiiose of the Bear and Wolf Castles, Anda-
goron and Tionnontogen. This was because the turtle
was created first, according to their genesis of things.
These three palisaded strongholds and their outlying
hamlets made up the Mohawk (or Canienga) nation. It
was likened, in the beautiful figurative language of the
Iroquois, to a group of families gathered round a hearth
or council fire, and filling up one end of the Long
House or Great League of the Five Nations, founded
by Hiawatha and his friends. The duty of the Canien-
gas of the Mohawk Valley was to guard the eastern
entrance of the Long House, or the door which looked
out on the Hudson. Their privilege was to furnish
the great war-chief that should lead the people of the
League to battle.

The proud Senecas, whose portion of the house ex-
tended from Seneca Lake to Niagara, were the western
doorkeepers of this household of nations, waging fierce
war on their neighbors near Lake Erie. The wily
Onondagas, wise old politicians, in the middle of the
Long House, at Onondaga Lake, led in council. Their
leading chief, the elected president of this first Ameri-
can republic, lit the central council-fire and sat in state
among the fifty oyanders (sachems) who formed the

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

Iroquois senate. Teu of these were always Cuniengas
(or Mohawks), and fourteen were Ouondagas. These two
nations and ' lie Senecas were called brothers ; while the
intermediate Oneidas and Cayugas were always spoken
of as nephews, because they were younger and less
important nations, with fewer oyanders.

Tekakwitha's father may have been one of the ten
Mohawk oyanders, but there is more reason to believe
that he belonged to a class of war-chiefs who took part
only in councils of war. In 1656 these war-chiefs were
very influential, for the Iroquois had set out on a wild
career of conquest, the warlike Mohawks as usual taking
the lead. The very same year that the little Mohawk-
Algonquin was born in their land, they swept like a
tornado over Isle Orleans, near Quebec. They carried
off to their castles the last remnant of the Huron people,
who, far from their own land, had gathered near the
French guns for protection. These Hurons from the
shores of Lake Huron belonged to the Iroquois stock, as
distinguished from the Algonquin races. In very early
times they had come down to the settlements on the St.
Lawrence to trade with the French, and zealous Jesuit
missionaries had accompanied them on their return to
their own country. After great hardships these mission-
aries had succeeded in making them Christians, when,
as the final result of an old feud, these Huron-Iroquois,
as they are often called, were driven from their homes
in the Northwest by the Iroquois of the League, and
wiped completely out of existence as a nation. Six of
the Jesuits who dwelt among them, and whose strange
isolated lives have furnished the theme for Parkman's
glowing pages, were massacred, while others were cruelly

THE MOHAWK VALLhi

tortured by the ubiquitous Moliawks during the periovi
of ten short years that ehipsed between Jogues' last
captivity and Teivuicwitha's birth. Could the father of
the Mohawk Lily have reddened his hands in their
blood ? It is more than likely ; for though Ondessouk
or Jogues was tlie only one of these martyrs who had
reached the Mohawk Valley, tliey were all slain by
Mohawk braves, — Jogues, Daniel, Brebeuf, Lalemant,
Oarnier, and Garreau ; nor is this a complete list of the
victims. To use once more the words of John Gilmary
Sliea, historian of these and their fellow pioneers, —

"Fain would we pause to follow each in his labors, his
trials, and his toils ; recount their dangers from the heathen
Huron, the skidkiug Iroquois, the frozen river, hunger, cold,
and accident; to show Gamier wrestling with the floating
ice, through which he sank on an errand of mercy ; Cha-
banel struggling on for ycais ou a mission from which every
fdore of his nature shrunk with loatliing ; Chaumouot com-
piling his grammar on the frozen earth ; or the heroic
Brebeuf, paralyzed by a fall, with his collar-bone broken,
creeping on his hands and feet along the road and sleeping
unsheltered on the snow when the very trees were splitting
with cold," and later, " as a martyr, one of the most glorious
in our annals for the variety and atrocity of his torments."

This last-mentioned blackgown, John de Brebeuf,
called Echon by the Hurons, was a writer of valuable
works oij the Indian language and customs. He be-
longed to a noble family of Normandy ; and on account
of his great natural courage and soldierly bearing, his
agony was prolonged by the savages with fiendish inge-
nuity, till finally, failing to wring a sigh of pain from

KATKIU TKKAKWITIIA.

I'-
ll;;'-'

his lips, they "clove open his chest, took out his nohle
heart, and devoured it," as a medicine to make them
fearless-hearted.

The fortitude of a brave man under torture was a
spectacle as keenly appreciated by the Iroquois as were
tlie gladiator fights and martyrdoms of old by the
Komans. The women in this case, however, instc'ad of
decreeing death by turning down their own thumbs,
were granted the less fatal and less dainty privilege of
sawing off the thumb of the victim, as in the case of
Jogues at Ossernenon. Tiie human torches of Nero,
who had the early Christians wrapped in straw and
placed in his garden on the Palatine Hill, then set on
fire to illuminate his evening revels, are vividly re-
I called by the death of Brebeuf's companion, the delicate
and gentle Gabriel Lalemant. He was wrapped in
pieces of bark which were put in a blaze. His writhing
frame and quivering flesh contrasted finely with the
stoic endurance of Brebeuf, and the Iroquois kept him
alive till morning, leaving his body at last a black and
shapeless mass.

Tiiese gifted men living and dying in the wilderness
were not without devoted followers, as can well be
imagined; and many of their converts, the Christian
Hurons, a now conquered race, dwelt with their old
foes in the Long House. With the capture of tliose
of the Hurons who had taken refuge at Isle Orleans the
long struggle ended between two branches of a great
Indian family or stock, — the Huron-Iroquois and the
Iroquois of the League. Once victorious, it was the
policy of the Five Nations of the League to quit all
enmity, and to give the vanquished a home in their

THE MOHAWK VALLKY.

lie

L'lll

midst. Though tliu Ilurous lust thuir national exist-
ence when thus adopted into the League, they did not
lose their Christian faith. They clung to it in Hie midst
of all the wild sui)erstitions of their coniiuerors. They
exjdained it to others as well as they could, and they
welcomed with glad hearts any blackgown who was
brave enough to tread in the footsteps of Jogues.

Such an one was Father Lenioyne, who canio and
went five times among the Onondagas and the Mo-
hawks between the years 1G53 and 1658, even while
they were at war with his countrymen on the St. Law-
rence. On a hurried visit to Fort Orange, the nearest
colony of Europeans, he told the people there of the salt
springs which are now a source of wealth at Syracuse ;
but the worthy burghers were incredulous and put it
down in their records as "a Jesuit lie." These early
settlers of our State, in spite of such occasional indica-
tions of prejudice, were a kind-hearted and a peace-lov-
ing people, always ready to do friendly offices for men
who, unlike their rivals the Canadian traders, seemed
to value the souls of the Indians more than tiieir
beaver-skins. They had already rescued two Jesuits,
Jogues and Bressani, from captivity; and they after-
wards sent Father Leraoyne a bottle of wine with
which to say Mass at Onondaga. This last missionary
the Indians now called Ondessonk, in memory of
Jogues. He visited the Mohawks in 1656 to console
the Huron exiles from Isle Orleans, and at the same
time he reproached the Mohawk warriors for their
cruelty.

This, of course, was little to the taste of Tekakwitha's
pagan father, who took care, no doubt, that the black-

KATEUI TKKAKWITIIA.

gown should have no intercourso witli his Algonquin
wile, for in his opinion she wns already too fond of
the French Christians. He did not wish her to have
his tiny, new-born daughter signed with the ill-omened
cross, and to hav<! the ^^ 'iter of baptism poured on her
head. So Onilessonk came and went, passing near, but
not finding Tekakwitha's mother, who still cherished
the Christian faith in her heart. When she knew that
he was gone, it must have been witii many a sigh and
many a thought of her northern honie, that she tied her
baby to its cradle-board, all carved and curtained after
the Indian fashion, and then loaded with the precious
burden, went off as usual to her work in the corn-tields.
From time to time she would pause for a moment to
smile at her little breathing bundle as it swung Irom
the branch of a tree near by, and we may be sure, too,
that as she gatliered in the harvest for the winter, she
whispered many a prayer for peace and for the coming
of the blackgown to dwell in the land, that her child
might grow up a Christian. Let us hope some distant
echo reached her in the Mohawk corn-field from the
shores of Onondaga Lake. For there, where the city of
Syracuse now sits among the hills, a crowd of Iroquois
were gathered at that very time into the rough bark
chapel of St. Mary's of Ganentaha, listening to the
Christian law of marriage preached then for the first
time in their land. Quick to understand the new
dignity it gave them, the Onondaga women silently
made up their minds to learn " the prayer," by which
they meant Christianity. All the while that the black-
gown was speaking, the captive Hurons who were in
the throng gazed with pent-up joy at the face of their

i'i

TlIK MOHAWK VALLKY.

•Jl

Iti'loved Kclion (Chiumionot, tlu; imint'sake of I{ii'1h.'uI),
vliosu voice tliey hud utton liourd at tlu; mission Injls
ill tlioir own country. Soon alter Kchon's visit other
lathers came among the Inxjuois nations witli a colony
of Frenchmen ; these hist had hecn cordially invited to
Onondiiga. The reason fur this invitation was that its
people, hard pressed by their savage enemies, wanted
peace with Ounontio, the French governor, and thought
to secure it in this way ; the Mohawks, however, took no
part in this temporary peace. They were angry with
the Onondagas for claiming their captives from the Isle
Orleans, and they continued their raids on the French
frontier regardless of a treaty made by their brother
nation. It must be remembered, though, that these
Indians, while warring with the French were then and
always at peace with the Dutch of Fort Orange. From
them they obtained the fire-arms that were used so
effectively in tlieir warfare in Canada.

The wife of the Mohawk warrior at Gandawague may
I ave heard rumors of the treaty made with Onnontio ;
but she saw the great kettle prepared as usual in the
Turtle village for the annual war-dance, and all hope
of a peace with the French died out once more from
her heart.

It was the custom of the Mohawks to set thir kettle
to boil in the early winter ; and from time to time each
warrior dropped something in to keep it going and thus
to signify his intention of joining the next expedition.
By February all was in readiness for the great dance of
the nation. A war-dance among the Indians is con-
ducted in some such way as this: Stripped of all but
the breech-cloth, gay with war-paint and feathers, the

KATEIU TEKAKWITHA.

U>:

dried head of a bear, if that be tlie totem of his clan,
fastened on head or shoulder, and with rattling deer-
hoofs strapped to his knees, each warrior springs to his
place, and the wild dance begins, accompanied by the
beating of a drum. Wilder and wilder grow their an-
tics, and more boastful the words of their chant, as they
catch the spirit of the dance, till at last they seem the
very incarnation of war. With all the vividness of
Indian pantomime, they act out the scenes of battle
before the eyes of the crouching women and children
gatliered in silent awe to witness this great savage
drama. At first the warriors seem to be creeping along
the forest trail with every faculty alert ; and then with
fearful whoops they whirl their tomahawks through the
air at a senseless post, springing back as if in self-
defence, falling again upon the imaginary foe, hacking
with violence, and mingling shrieks with their victori-
ous shouts, till in the flickering light of the fire and the
weird shadows of surrounding objects, the assembled
crowd, completely caiTied away by the vividness of the
pantomime, see human victims falling beneath their
strokes.

During the progress of the annual war-dance at Gan-
dawague a group of Indian boys stand gazing with
wide-open eyes at the heroes of the Kanienke-ha-ka
whose past and future deeds are thus pictured before
them. With swelling hearts they listen to the wild
refrain, "Wah-hee! Ho-lia!" that comes at intervals.
Among the smallest of the group we have in view is
Tekakwitha's little brother, and her father is taking
part in the dance. His voice, as it leads a louder swell
of the war-song, startles her from her baby dreams, and

THE MOHAWK VALLEY.

she nestles close iu her mother's arms. Later she hears
the same voice iu the lodge, — a tew brief words rolling
from the tongue^ of the warrior in the low nmsical
tones of the Mohawk language; and it only lulls her
into sounder sleep. The dance is over, and the crowd
scattered; but still we linger about to see what will
happen next. A death-like silence reigns in the village.
There is not one sentinel on watch. It would be well
if they were more vigilant, but for the present they are
safe. Their foes are far away, and the high palisade
keeps off the prowling beasts. The darkness of night
has closed over them. It is the hour for dreams, and
dreams are the religion of the red-man. They are
treasured up and told to the medicine-man or sorcerer,
the influential being who is both priest and doctor in
the village. When the excitement of the war-dance
has subsided and the people are all sleeping soundly,
this mysterious personage with stealthy tread may be
seen to issue from the silent cluster of houses, and by
the light of the moon he gathers his herbs and catches
the uncanny creatures of the night with which to
weave his spells. He knows that the young warriors
will be coming to him for some inkling of their fate on
the war-path, and besides he must supply a certain cure
for their wounds. When he has found it for them he will
gather them all in the public square at Gandawague,
and after other exhibitions of his .skill will perhaps
cut his own lip, and when the blood is flowing freely,
will stanch it and cure it in a moment by applying
his magic drug. It will be well for his fame if tliere

1 " The Mohawk lanfjMaj»e is on the tongue; the Wyandot is in the
throat." — Scirooi.rnAFT'.s Red Race.

KATKKI TICK A K WITH A

be not tlie keen eye of a French Jesuit in ilie crowd to
watch him as lie quickly sucks the blood into his
mouth. He knows that the warriors are easily duped
by his cunning, and will probably buy his mixture.
Happy in its ])ossession, they will fear no evil effects
from their wounds. Their sweethearts too seek the
sorcerer to have their fortunes told, and the old men
and women come to him with their ailments. Even the
orators are glad of a hint from his fertile brain ; and the
oyander or matron of rank who is about to nominate
a new chief may perhaps consult him. If her choice
has been already made, however, it is no easy task to
persuade her to change her mind.

With the month of March comes the Dream-Feast,
and then the medicine-man is in his glory. For three
days the town is in a hubbub, given up to every freak of
the imagination. All the dreams of its people, no matter
how foolish and unreasonable, must be fulfilled in some
way to the dreamer's satisfaction. The wiser heads
among them have to tax their ingenuity to the utmost
to prevent the worst excesses of this crazy celebration.
The Christian Indians, above all, dreaded its coming ;
for if the sorcerer's interpretation pointed in their direc-
tion, they were sure to suffer. During the celebration
of the Dream-Feast the Algonquin captive would not
fail to hide herself and her children in the darkest
corner she could find. She had a better chance to pass
unnoticed, however, than the more numerous Huron
Christians, who, like herself, had been captured by the
Iroquois. Against these there was a growing enmity,
encouraged no doubt by the sorcerers, who profited least
of all by their presence among the people. Some

THE MOHAWK VALLEY.

months after the time of the Dream-Feast the gatheriug
storm burst over their heads. On the 3d of August,
1G57, the Hurous, who dwelt at Onondaga, were sud-
denly massacred. The ])arty that had been advocating
friendsliip with the French, and which had taken the
lead in establishing the French colony at Onondaga,
headed by Garacontid (" The Sun that advances "), were
fust losing ground. The situation, even of the French
colonists who were there, was becoming critical ; and in
April, 1658, when Tekakwitha was in her second year,
strange things happened in the Long House of the Five
Nations.

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER III.

n ]

,1 'i

A CRADLE-SONG. — CAPTIVES TORTURED. — FLIGHT OF THE
FRENCH FROM ONONDAGA. — DEATH IN THE MOHAWK

LODGES.

ET the reader.

look

Teka-

i imagination,
kwitha's home at Gandawague on the Mohawk,
as it appeared in the month of April, 1658, and learn
if the news that is spreading from nation to nation ha»
yet reached there. To find the lodge he wishes to
enter, he will follow a woman who is passing along the-
principal street of the village with an energetic step.
The corners of a long blanket, that envelops her head
and whole form, flap as if in a breeze from her own
quick motion, for the air is quite stiU. It is early-
spring-time. There are pools of frozen water here and
there ; but the dogs of the village have chosen a sunny
spot to gnaw at the bones they have found near the
cabin of a fortunate hunter, who gave a feast the night
before to his more needy neighbors. All shared in his
good cheer. So long as there is food in the village, no
one is allowed to go hungry. Such is the Indian law of
hospitality.

Tegonhatsihongo, who will be better known by and
by under the name of Anastasia, gathers her blanket
about her, and with the usual greeting, " Sago ! " she
passes a matron at a neighboring doorway, who with-
draws the heavy bear-skin curtain she has placed there
for keeping out the cold, in order that she may see

A CUADLE-SONG.

where to put away the snow-shoes, now no longer
needed. She stores them high above her head among
the poles that support the snug bark roof. The keen
eye of Tegonhatsihongo notes at a glance what the
matron is about ; and as she turns her head for a second
look, one can see by the lines in her face that she is
already on the downward slope of middle age. She
passes on through an open space where a scaffold is
prepared for the exhibition of any captives the warriors
may chance to bring back from their raid on Montreal.
Tegonhatsihongo scarcely notices these familiar prepara-
tions for the torture, but directs her steps to the lodge
of a chief opening on tlie square. She is about to visit
her friend the Algonquin, whose brave is away on the
war-path. The quiet ways of this younger woman have
attracted her and won her friendship. As she lifts the
hanging skin to enter, she pauses a moment. Surprised,,
perhaps, and well pleased too to find the Algonquin in
a merry mood, romping with her baby, now more than
a year old, she stands and watches her. Catching the
child from the clean-swept earthen floor, the mother
holds it laughing and struggling in her lap, while she
sings the Algonquin " Song of the Little Owl." ^ A pretty
picture she makes, seated by the nearest fire of faggots,
in the dim, smoky light of the long-house ; and these
are the words of her cradle-song and their literal
translation : —

Ah wa nain ?
Ah wa nain 1
Wa you was sa
Eo pwasod.

Who is this ?

Giving eye-light

On the top of my lodge.

1 Schoolcraft's Red Race.

KATEUI TKKAKWITHA.

Here tlie youug molliur louks up, as if she really saw
the eyes of the little wliite owl glaring I'roiu aiiioug the
rustic rafters or througli the hole in the ruuf. The
(lark eyes of the dark little baby, which follow the direc-
tion of hers, are opening wide witli wonder at this
sudden break from song to pantomime ; and now the
Algoncjuin answers her own questiojis, assuming all at
once the tone of the little screech-owl: —

Kob kob kob,
Niiu be e zbau.
Kob kob kob,
Nim be e zhau.
Kitche ! kitche !

It is I, the little owl,
Coming, coming.
It is I, the little owl>
Coming.
Down ! dowu !

j-i

With the last words, meaning " Dodge, baby, dodge ! "
she springs towards the child, and down goes the little
head. This is repeated with the utmost merriment on
both sides, till their laughter is interrupted by the en-
trance of Tegonhatsihongo, who seats herself near her
friend, their talk soon taking a serious turn. Now for
the first time the Algonquin notices that others in the
same cabin are putting their heads together and talking
in low voices. The very air seems full of mystery. The
busy ones have dropped their accustomed occupations,
and the idle ones have ceased their noisy talk and their
games. All are wondering at the strange news from
the Indian capital, telling of the unaccountable disap-
pearance of the Frenchmen who formed the little colony
at Onondaga. Mohawks who were there on a visit
have returned with marvellous tales. The few facts of
the history are soon known, but there is no end to the
surmises that are afloat among the Iroquois. This is

NEWS FROM ONONDAGA.

what they ai<' all talking about. This is wliat ha])penud.
The French c ilonists whom wu have already nieiitioiKitl,
lil'ty-three in number, had given a great feast at their
small block fort on the east bank of Onondaga Ljike.*
All the Onondagas and their guests from otiier nations
who chanced to be there at the lime, were invited. Some
of Tegonhatsihongo's friends from the Mohawk Valley
were present among the rest, and knew all about it.
They were completely carried away with admiration for
their French hosts, who gave them a right royal feast.
Wlien it was over they fell into slumber and dreamed
strange dreams. Then, awaking when the sun was high,
the bewildered guests went about half dazed. Some of
them, straggling near the French enclosure, heard the
dogs bark and a cock crow within. As the day wore
on, they gathered into groups and wondered why the
foreign inmates slept so long. None of them were to
be seen going to work ; no voices were heard. Could
they be at prayer or in secret council? No one an-
swered when they knocked at the door. By afternoon
there were strange whisperings and much misgiving
among the Onondagas, till at last their curiosity out-
grew their dread, and nerved a few to scale the palisade.
With cautious step they entered, fearing some treacher-
ous snare. The Frenchmen could not be asleep, they
thought, for the noisy barking of the dog would almost

^ The site of this fort is still pointed out between Salina and Liver-
pool, near the '* Jesuit's Spring," or " Well," as it is called. For a plan
of the fort made by Judge Geddes in 1797, from remains of it then
in existence, see Clark's "Onondaga," p. 147. See also "Relations,
des Jdsnites," and translations of the same in the " Documentary His-
tory of New York," vol. i., for a full account of the Onondaga Colony
in 16.58.

KATEKI TEKAKWITIIA.

wake the dead. Could they have slain one another in
the night ? No ; all was peaceful as they entered, — no
signs ol" a struggle, aud tlie sunlight danced playfully
in through utter vacancy. Every corner of tlie house
and fort was searched ; no human being, dead or livin".
was found, yet noisy and more noisy grew the barking
of the fastened dog, and frightened chickens fluttered
about. The Indians looked at one another, shuddering.
What had happened? With guilty consciences they
thought of their deep-laid treachery here brought to
naught ; for as the Algonquin now learned from the talk
in the long-house, they had planned to massacre the
colony invited to their land from policy. Having sub-
jugated their savage foes of the Cat nation, they were
ready to turn their arms once more against the French.
\ They had felt quite sure of their prey ; for even if warned,
' the colonists and missionaries could not have escaped,
they thought, as the rivers were still frozen. Besides,
it was out of the question to suppose tliey had gone by
water, as ro boat was missing. Had they taken to the
woods, they would soon have perished in the cold, hav-
ing no guides, or else they would have fallen again into
the hands of their enemies, who could easily track and
overtake them in the forest. No trace of them, how-
ever, was anywhere to be found. Never were the red
men more completely baffled. Tegonhatsihongo and the
others who talked it all over had two favorite explana-
tions of the mystery, — either the Frenchmen had a
magic power of walking on the lakes, or else strange
creatures, seen by Onondagas in their dreams, had flown
through the air bearing the pale-faces with them.

While Tekakwitha's mother was

still wondering

CAPTIVES TORTURED.

;r in

this unaccountable story, the Mohawk braves returned
from tlieir raid on Montreal, and the people of the vil-
latre were soon hurrying out with little iron rods, to
take their stand on either side of the path that led
up the hill to the principal opening in the palisade.
There they were, ready to beat the prisoners as they
approaclied, "running the gauntlet." Then the crowd
eagerly watched the progress of the tortures on the
scaffold, after which the prisoners were handed over,
bound hand and foot, to the tender mercies of the chil-
dren. These juvenile savages amused themselves by
putting red-Hot coals on the naked flesh of the captives,
and tormented them in every way their mischief-loving
brains could devise. Thus early did the Warner's son
begin his education.

But this side of the Indian nature is too horrible to
dwell on ; let it pass. At times the Iroquois were like
incarnate devils ; and yet each tale of frightful cruelty
that history preserves for us brings with it some re-
deeming trait, some act of kindness or humanity done
in the face of savage enmity. There were always a few
among them ready like Pocahontas to avert the threat-
ened blow or to relieve the sufferers whenever it was
possible. One of these in days gone by had adminis-
tered to Jogues ; and one of tliese in days now soon to
oorae will prove to be our Tekakwitha.

There is little more to say about her parents. Her
mother may have learned from some of the captives
brought to Gandawague from Canada the true ending
of the French colony at Onondaga. At all events, the
following explanation of their sudden disappearance
iias been given by Ragueneau, who shared the fate of

KATEHI TEKAKWITIIA.

the adventurous little band,
letters : —

He suys in one of his

" To supply tlic want of canoes, wo hud built in secret
two battcaux of a novel and excellent structure to pass the
rapids ; tliese batteaux drew but very little water and carried
considerable freight, fourteen or fifteen men each, amounting
to fifteen or sixteen hnndred weight. We had moreover
four Algonquin and four Iroquois canoes, which were to
conjpose our little fleet of fifty-three Frenchmen. But the
difficulty was to embark unporceived by the Iroquois, who
constantly beset us. The batteaux, canoes, and all the equi-
j)ago could not be conveyed without great noise, and yet
without secrecy there was nothing to be expected, save a
general massacre of all of us the moment it would be discov-
ered that we entertained the least thought of withdrawing.

On that account we invited all the savages in our neigh-
borhood to a solemn feast, at which we employed all our
industry, and spared neither the noise of drums nor instru-
ments of music, to deceive them by harmless device. He
who presided at this ceremony played his part with so much
address and success that all were desirous to contribute to
the public joy. Every one vied in uttering the most pier-
cing cries, now of war, anon of rejoicing. The savages,
through complaisance, sung and danced after the French
fashion, and the French in the Indian style. To encourage
them the more in this fine play, presents were distributed
among those who acted best their parts and who made the
greatest noise to drown that caused by about forty of our
people outside who were engaged in removing all our equi-
page. The embarkation being completed, the feast was con-
cluded at a fixed time ; the guests retired, and sleep having
soon overwhelmed them, we withdrew from our house by a
back door and embarked with very little noise, without bid-

FLIGHT OF THE FRENCH.

din<,' adieu to the Huvages, who wore acting cunning parts
und were thinking to uniuso us to the hour of our nmssucro
with I'liir appearances and evidences of good will.

"Our httlc luke,^ on which we silently sailed in the dark-
ness of the night, froze according as we advanced, and caused
us to fvnr being stopt by the ice after having evaded the
fires of the Iroquois. God, however, delivered us, and after
having advanced all night and all the following day throuj^h
frightful precipices and waterfalls, we arrived finally in the
evening at the great Lake Ontario, twenty leagues from the
place of our departure. This first day was the most danger-
ous ; for had the Iroquois observed our departure, they would
have intercepted us, and had they been ten or twelve it
would have been easy for them to have thrown us into dis-
order, the river being very narrow, and terminating after
travelling ten leagues in a frightful precipice where we were
obliged to land and carry our baggage and canoes during
four hours, through unknown roads covered with a thick
forest which could have served the enemy for a fort, whence
at each step he could have struck and fired on us without
being perceived. God's protection visibly accompanied us
during the remainder of the road, in which we walked
through perils which made us shudder after we escaped
them, having at night no other bed except the snow after
having passed entire days in the water and amid the ice.

Ten days after our departure we found Lake Ontario, on
which we floated, still frozen at its mouth. We were obliged
to break the ice, axe in hand, to make an opening, to en-
ter two days afterwards a rapid where our little fleet had
well-nigh foundered. For having entered a great sault
without knowing it, we found ourselves in the midst of
breakers which, meeting a quantity of big rocks, threw up
mountains of water and cast us on as many precipices as

* Onondaga Lake.

KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

we gave strokes of paddles. Our butteaux, which drew
suarcuiy halt' a fuut, were noon tilled with water, and all our
people iu such coufusion that their cries mingled with the
roar of the torreut presented to us the spectacle of a dread-
ful wreck. It became imperative, however, to extricate
ourselves, the violence of the current dragging us despite
ourselves into the large rapids and through passes in which
wo had never been. Terror redoubled at the sight of one of
our canoes being engulfed in a breaker which barred the
entire rapid, and which, notwithstanding, wius the course
that all the others must keep. Three Frenchmen were
drowned there; a fourth fortunately escaped, having held
on to the caaoe and being saved at the foot of the sautt
when at the point of letting go his hold, his strength being
exhausted. . . .

" The 3d of April we landed at Montreal in the beginning
of the night."

I' >

I I

This escape, so wonderful to the Indian mind and so
successful, made a profound impression at Gandawague
as among all the Mohawks, and produced most impor-
tant results in the neighborhood of Tekakwitha's home,
interrupting the work of the missionary there.

Ondessonk or Lemoyne, the namesake of Jogues,
who made a third visit to the Mohawk Valley in the
fall of 1657, was no longer even tolerated by its people.
He was held half a hostage, half a prisoner, at Tionnon-
togen, during the time that the French colony were in
peril at Onondaga, and was finally sent back to Canada.
He left the Mohawk country for the last time, just after
Onondaga was abandoned by the French. He reached
his countrymen on the St. LawTence in May, 1658, to
be greeted there with a glad welcome and many in-

DEATH L\ THE MOHAWK LODGES.

quines from the newly arrived refugees from Onondaga,
concerning his experiences among the Mohawk.s ; tliey
were anxious to hear whetlier he had fared any butter
than themselves.

Not one blackgown was now left among the Five Na-
tions of Iroquois. The Algonquin motlier at Gandii-
wague had been unable to pre tit by their brief stay in
the land, and her life grew ever sadder towards its close.
She was finally laid low by a terrible disease, the
small-pox, which spread like wild fire through the
Mohawk nation in 1659 and 1660. Her brave, an
■early victim to this redman's plague, soon lay cold in
death, and with aching heart she too bade good-by to
the world, leaving her helpless children alone and
struggling with the disease in a desolate lodge in a
desolate land.

Chaucheti^re relates what he learned long afterwards
from Anastasia Tegonhatsihongo, — that in leaving her
two little children the mother grieved at having to
abandon them without baptism ; that she was a fervent
Christian to the last, and that she met death with a
prayer on her lips.

KATElil TEKAKWITIIA.

CHAPTER IV.

TEKAKWITIIA WITH HER AUNTS AT GANDAWAGUE.

TEKAKWITHA'S brother shared the fate of lier
parents. All three died within the space of a
few days. Overshadowed by death and disease when
she was only four years old, the little Indian child
alone remained of the family. How she won her name
is not known, though Indian names have always a
meaning. They are never arbitrarily given. The word
«' Tekakwitha," as M. Cuoq, the philologist, translates
it, means " One who approaches moving something
before her." Marcoux, the author of a complete Iro-
quois dictionary, renders it, " One who puts things in
order." ^

It has been suggested in reference to M. Cuoq's in*
terpretation, that the name may have been given to her
on account of a peculiar manner of walking caused by
her imperfect sight ; for it is related that the small-pox
so injured her eyes that for a long time she was obliged to
shade them from a strong light. It is possible that in
groping or feeling her way while a child, she may have
lield out her hands in a way that suggested the pushing

* So cited by Shea in his translation of Cha^le^•oix'8 "History of
New France," vol. iv. For different ways oF spelling Tekakwitha'9
name, see Appendix, Note B, where the grammatical explanation of it
by M. Cuoq is also given.

UEU EAULY CHILDHOOD.

of something in front of her, and thus have received
her name. On the other hand, the interpretation of
M. Marcoux, as given by Shea, is thoroughly in kee|>-
ing with her character. She indeed spent u great part
of her life, as the record shows, in putting things in
order.

On the death of Tekakwitha's father, her uncle, ac-
cording to the Indian laws of descent, would fall heir
to the title of chief, after having been chosen by the
matron or stirps of the family,^ and then didy elected
by the men of the Turtle clan. Tekakwitha then be-
came an inmate of her uncle's lodge, — which was quite
natural, for indeed she was likely to prove a valuable
acquisition to the household. This uncle was impover-
ished, no doubt, by the plague and also by the custom
of making presents. A chief is expected to dispense
freely, and is generally poor in spite of his honors. But
daughters were always highly prized by the Iroquois; as
they grew up they were expected to do a large part of
the household work ; and later, when wedded to some
sturdy hunter, the lodge to which a young woman be-
longed, claimed and received whatever her husband
brought from the chase. So the aunts and the uncle of
Tekakwitha acted quite as much from worldly wisdom
as from humanity when they decided to give the young
orphan a home. Forethought was mixed with their
kindness, and perhaps also a bit of selfishness. They

^ Among the Iroquois descent was never reckoned through the male
line, the stii-ps being always a woman. A chief, therefore, derived his
title from his mother. To her family, not his father's, he belonged ;
and back to her or to her mother at his death the title was referred, to
be transmitted through her to some other descendant.

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

... I.

I' r. 1'.

fi!, 'I I

I !

had no children of their own, but they adopted another
young girl besides Tekakwitha, thus giving to their
niece a sister somewhat older than herself. The home
of this family, after the small-pox had spent its force
and when the distress it caused had forced the Mo--
hawks to make a treaty of peace with the French, was
at Gandawague,^ on a high point of land in the angle
between Auries Creek and the Mohawk liiver.

Here on the crest of the hill, in a wheat-field west of
the creek, there still are signs of an Indian village, and
just outside of the fence in a patch of woods Indian
graves and corn-pits are to be seen. Well does the
writer remember a bright summer day when that vil-
lage site where Tekakwitha must have spent her early
childhood was visited and examined for traces of Iro-
quois occupation. Three of us had driven over from the
spring and castle-site of Caughnawaga at Fonda to the
west side of Auries Creek. Leaving our carriage, we
mounted the steep bank of the stream, eager to find the
exact site of Gandawague, to which the people of Osser-
nenon moved before they crossed the river to Caughna-
waga. We stood at last on the hard-won summit, and
there lay the landscape in its tranquil beauty, — the
Mohawk Valley, the river, a wheat-field against a dark
wood, and off in the distance the court-house of Fonda,
and dim Caughnawaga, all bathed in a glory of sun-
shine. Nearer at hand and toward the east, a little
white steeple gleamed through the trees, marking the
site of the modern village of Auriesville. We stood
high above it, on the upper river terrace, where old
Gandawague had once been ; and though the rude Indian
1 See General Clark's map herewith printed.

HEr* EARLY CHILDHOOD.

castle at that spot had long ago been trampled out of
existence, v;e seemed to see it rise again from the aslies
of its ancient hearthfires. Then, looking off' toward the
Schoharie, in our mind's eye we plainly saw on the
broad, grassy plateau the still older village of Osserne-
non, with its high palisade, that once upheld the ghastly
head of the martyred Jogues. The scene was before us
in all its details. The past had become like the present
that day ; and what was then present, all blended with
sunshine that blotted out the tragic and left the heroic
parts of the picture, has since become past. Those
glorious hours at the castle-sites near Auriesville, so
rich in awakened thought, contagious enthusiasm, and
newly acquired information, are only a memory now ;
and mention is made of them here in the hope that
others may feel a stir of interest in their hearts, and be
roused to visit the Mohawk Valley, and the places so
closely linked to the names of Jogues and Tekakwitha,
— Ossernenon, where the shrine is built ; Gandawague,
on the bank of Auries Creek ; and Caughnawaga,^ live
miles farther up the river.

Tekakwitha was only a little girl when she lived
at Gandawague. It could hardly have been a large
castle, on such a small bit of high land. They had
little need at this time of a large castle, for many
had died of the small-pox. The old Dutch records of
the time relate that the Turtles, or people of the lower
castle, were building a new palisade, in the latter part of
the year 1659, — a task which would necessarily accom-

1 The castle of Caughnawaga at Fonda was also called Gandawague,
long after its removal from Auries Creek. But it prevents confusion
to give it always its more distinctive name of Caughnawaga.

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

*l!<

:/;. i !

pany a removal from Ossernenon ; and they asked the
Dutchmen, their neighbors, to help them. The friend-
ship of these settlers for the Mohawks was put to rather
a queer test when they proposed that the Dutch should
not only furnish them with horses, but should drive
them themselves, and drag the heavy logs up the hill
for the palisade.* They were not used to such work ;
and it better became the settlers to do it, they thought,
than Mohawk warriors !

Some Dutchmen of Fort Orange were at the Turtle
Castle on an embassy when this unpleasant proposal was
made to them, and they thus shirked it. " Do you not
see we are tired ? " they said. " We have travelled far
through the forest. Our men are few and weary ; be-
sides you have no roads. Our horses could never get
up there. You must excuse us, our friends, and man-
age to do it without us. See, as a token of friendship,
we have brought you fifty new hatchets." Then, giving
the Indians knick-knacks and weapons, they bade them
farewell and departed, journeying back in haste to their
homes on the Hudson.

Thus the Indians were left to finish their own pali-
sade, or stockade, whichever one may choose to call it ;
and the uncle of Tekakwitha doubtless worked with
the rest. When it was finished, it stood and protected
them well for six uneventful years ; that is to say, they
were uneventful for Indians, though during the whole
of that period they were making and breaking treaties
of peace with the French, and were warring with other
tribes. During this time, while the fighting was all
carried on at a distance from the Mohawk castles, Teka-

1 See Ajtpendix, Note A, Letter of June 29, 1885.

;ii:i

■-piiii! I

!■• Wii : 1

HER EAULY CHILDHOOD.

kwitha lived in the greatest seclusion. She was cared
lor and taught by her aunts, in one of the cabins closed
in by the palisade. She was learning the arts of the
Indians, doing the daily work, and shrinking from all
observation. This unsociable habit of hers (for so it
must have seemed to her neighbors) was due in part to
her own disposition, — modest, shy, and reserved, — but
more than all, perhaps, to the fact that the small-pox
had injured her eyesight. As she could not endure
much light, she remained indoors, and when forced to
go out, her eyes were shaded by her blanket. Little by
little she grew to love a life of quiet and silence. Be-
sides, she showed a wonderful aptness for learning to
make all the curious bark utensils and wooden things
that were used in the village. Much to her aunts' sat-
isfaction, she had an industrious spirit. This they took
care to encourage, as it made her very useful. These
aunts were exceedingly vain ; and a child of less sense
than the young Tekakwitha would soon have been
spoiled by their foolishness.

Chauchetifere b .3 told us quaintly, in old-fashioned
French, " what she did during the first years of her age."
We cannot do better here than to follow his account,
translating it almost word for word : —

" The natural inclination which girls have to appear well,
makes them esteem very much whatever adorns the body ;
and that is why the young savages from seven to eight
years of age are silly, and have a great love for porcelaine
(wampum). The mothers are even more foolish, for they
sometimes spend a great deal of time in combing and dress-
ing the hair of their daughters ; they take cai j that their

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

]■!

i I

ears shall be pierced, and commence to pierce them from th&
cradle ; they put paint on their faces, and fairly cover them
with beads when they have occasion to go to the dance.

" Those into whose hands Tegakoiiita fell when her mother
died, resolved to have her marry very soon, and with this ob-
ject they brought her up in all these little vanities ; but th&
little Tegakoiiita, who was not yet a Christian, in truth, nor
baptized, had a natural indifference for all these things. She
was like a tree without flowers and without fruit ; but this
little wild olive was budding so well into leaf that it prom-
ised some day to bear beautiful fruit ; or a heaven covered
with the darkness of paganism, but a heaven indeed, for she
was far removed from the corruption of the savages, — shfr
was sweet, patient, chaste, and innocent. Sage comme une
Jille frani^aue. bien Hevee, — As good as a French girl well
brought up, — this is the testimony that has been given by
those who knew her from a very young age, and who in using
this expression gave in a few words a beautiful panegyria
of Catherine Tegakoiiita. Anastasia Tegonhatsihongo said
of her that 'she had no faults.'

'* Her occupation was to carry little bundles of wood with
her mother, that is to say, her aunt, the matron of th&
lodge, to put wood on the fire when the mother told her^
to go for water when those in the cabin had need of it ;.
and when they gave her no further commands she amused
herself with her little jewels, — I mean she dressed herself up
in the fashion of the other young girls of her age, just to
pass the time. She would put a necklace about her throat ;
she would put bracelets of beads on her arms, rings on her
fingers, and ear-rings in her ears. She made the ribbons and
bands which the savages make with the skins of eels, which
they redden, and render suitable for binding up their hain
She wore large and beautiful girdles, which they call wam>
pum belts."

i '

UER EARLY CHILDHOOD.

[These decorations not only adorn the person, but they
also show the rank of the maiden who wears them.*]

" There was a sort of child-mari iage in vogue among the
Iroquois. Certain agreements of theirs were called marriage,
which amounted to nothing more than a bond of friendship
between the parents, rendered more firm by giving away a
child, who was often still in the cradle ; thus they married
a girl to a little boy. This was done at a time when Tega-
koUita was still very small ; she was given to a child. The
little girl was only about eight years old ; the boy was hardly
older than herself. They were both of the same humor, both
very good children ; and the little boy troubled himself na
more about the marriage than did the girl."

It was a mere formality; but it shows how early
Tekakwitha's relatives began to think of establishing
her in life.

* See Cholenec, who mentions this fact in the " Lettres ^difiantes,"
translated by Kip in his work entitled " Early Jesuit Missions." What
is said concerning child-marriage is from Chaucheti^re's manuscript.

KATKRI TEKAKWnilA.

CHAPTER V.

TEKAKWITHA'S uncle and F0I{T orange ; OR THE
BEGINNINGS OF ALBANY.

mils :!

CHOLENEC, the more concise of the two contempo-
rary biographeis of Kateri Tekakwitha, in speak-
ing of her early life says : " She found herself an orphan
under the care of her aunts, and in the power of an uncle
wlw was the leading wan in the settlement.'* This brief
expression gives us an intimation both of the character
and the rank of Tekakvvitha's formidable Mohawk uncle.
He was stern, unbending, fierce ; and like many an-
other chief reared in the Long House, was proudly tena-
cious of the customs of his race. He was often on the
worst of terms with the French blackgowns because
they interfered with the beliefs and manners of his
people ; but always on the best of terms with the Dutch
traders, who, in exchange for the rich furs brought in
so plentifully to Fort Orange, supplied the Mohawks of
Oandawague (or, as the Dutch wrote it, Kaghnuwage)
with muskets, iron tomahawks, pipes, tobacco, copper
kettles, scissors, duffels, strouds for blankets, and more
than all, the keenly relished, comforting " fire water."

The influx of liquor to the Iroquois castles led to reck-
less debauches, fast following in the track of the small-
pox, which stalked with unchecked violence through the

Long House in 1660.

During the course of the follow-

TIIK IJKCilNNINGS OF ALBANY.

inf,' year an important trnnsnction took ])lace betwi'j'ii
the white settlers on tlie Hudson anil the Indians ah)ng
the Mohawk, or Ma<[uaas Kill. " A certain parcel of
land," to use the words of the old deed, "called in
Dutch the Groote Vlachte (Clreat Flatt), lying behind
Fort Orange, between the same and the Mohawk coun-
try," was sold by Mohawk chiefs — Cautuiiuo (who.so
mark was a liear) ; Aiadane, a Turtle ; Sunareetsie, a
Wolf; and Sodachdrasse — to Sieur Arent van Corlaer,
July 27, 16G1. "A grant under the provincial seal
was issued in the following year, but the land was not
surveyed or divided until 1664." The Indian name of
the Great Flatt was Schonowe, and the new village of
white settlers which soon sprang up on the south bank
of the Mohawk was called Schenectady by the Dutch
and English ; though the French, who did not for some
time learn of its existence, first knew this little outpost
of Fort Orange by the name of Corlaer,^ the earliest
settler.

This founding of Schenectady was an event of deep
interest to the Mohawks of Gandawague. It brought
the dwellings of the white race closer than ever before
to their own stronghold, almost in fact to the very door
of the Kanonsionni, or People of the Long House. The
settlers began at once to rear their wonderful wooden
palaces, for such they must have seemed to the simple
children of the forest. The wild banks of the Maquaas

1 Corlaer, or Van Curler, a brave and worthy man, was the most
influential settler at Schenectady, and on excellent terms with the Mo-
hawk Indians. He had visited them in 1642, on purpose to secure, if
possible, the ransom of Father Jogues, and had manifested great sym-
pathy for him in his captivity.

KATKUI TEKAKWITIIA.

If
111

Kill had hitherto shown no prouder architecture than the
long bark houses of the Mohawks, which nevertheless
were much in advance of the wigwams or tents of tlie
roving Algoncjuin tribes. The Indians of Gandawague
must have hastened down in their canoes to watch the
building of Sclienectady, and listened with interest and
curiosity to the strange buzz of the newly erected saw-
mill. These vere already familiar sights and sounds,
however, to Tekakwitha's uncle, for he had long been
in the habit of trading with the Dutch and knew their
ways. He often journeyed as far as their trading-house
^t Fort Orange. Let us follow in the footsteps of this
Mohawk chief as he starts once again on the trail that
leads eastward from Gandawague with fura he has been
hoarding for some new purchase. Let us pass hurriedly
on beyond the new abode of his friend Corlaer, and we
«hall then see the sights that greet him as he ap-
proaches the homes of the traders who dwell beside the
Hudson, — or Cahotatea, as the chief of the Turtle Castle
would call the great North River in nis own language.
He has other Indians of his nation with him. These
Mohawks, says the first Dutch dominie, in the account
he gives of them, have good features, with black hair
and eyes, and they are well proportioned ; they go naked
in summer, and in winter they hang loosely about them
a deer's., bear's, or panther's skin, or else they sew small
skins together into a square piece, or buy two and a
half ells of duffels from the Dutchmen. Some of them
wear shoes and stockings of deer's skins; others of
plaited corn-leaves. Their hair is left growing on one
side of the head only, or else worn like a cock's comb or
hog's bristles standing up in a streak from forehead to

THE BKGINNINUS OF ALBANY.

neck ; some of them leave queer little locks growing
here und there. Their facea ure puinted red uad blue,
80 that they "look like the devil himself," continues
the worthy Megupolensis. They carry a basket of bear's
grease with which they smear their heads, and in trav-
elling they take with them a maize-kettle and a wooden
spoon and bowl When it is meal-time they get fire
very quickly by rubbing pieces of wood together ; and
they cook and devour their fish and venison without
the preliminary cleaning and preparing considered ne-
cessary among civilized folks. When they feel pain
they say, " Ugh 1 the devil bites," and when they wish
to compliment their own nation they say, " Really the
Mohawks are very cunning devils." They make no of-
ferings to their good genius or national god, Tharonya-
wagon ; but they worship the demon Otkon or Aireskoi,
praying in this way, "Forgive us for not eating our
enemies ! " and in hot weather, " I thank thee, Devil,
I thank thee, Oomke, for the cool breeze." They laugli
at the Dutch prayers, the dominie tells us, and also at
the sermon. They call the Christians of Fort Orange
cloth-makers (assi/reoni) and iron-workers (charistooni).

These uncouth traveller from Gandawague, among
whom is the uncle of Tekakwitha, are fast nearing the
homes of these same cloth-makers and iron-workers.
Let lis hasten to overtake them, and find our way with
them into the settlement of Rensselaerwyck. You
who dwell in New York State and you who travel
through it, come with us now to visit old Fort Orange
and the little town of Beverwyck ! You above all who
love to trace your lineage to the staid old Dutchmen of
New Netherlands, come I Let us see the homes of these

KATERl TEKAKVVITHA.

|<- Ij:'

J'; '

I*-

grandsires whose names appear so often in the records
and ancient annals of our oldest chartered city. Come,
too, you sons of English colonists, and see the flag of
England float strangely in the Hudson liiver breezes
while they are still loaded with the cumbrous sounds
of the Low Dutch language ! We will stay and see the
laws of Enj^land put an end to queer old wordy wars be-
tween the stately Dutch patroon Van Rensselaer and Peter
JStuyvesant, the doughty old Director-general, last and
greatest of the four Dutch governors, — the one called
" Wooden Leg " by Indians, and " Hard-headed Pete '^
by Dutchmen ; though the poets say he had a silvei' leg,
and the artists love to paint him with a gallant flourish
as he stumped it down the street beside some pretty,
quaintly dressed colonial belle. His were the days of
knee-breeches and gigantic silver buckles, of ruffles and
queues, of broad, short petticoats bedecked with mighty-
pockets, and of scissors and keys that hung from the
belt, — the days of demure tea-parties and hilarious
coasting-parties, of negro slaves and of sugar-loaf hats.
As for weapons of war, the muskets they carried were
strange and clumsy arras, w'^^h long, portable rests and
" two fathoms of match," which the soldier must needs
have with him, besides the heavy armor and the queer
tackle for ammunition. No wonder that the wearers of
such gear dreaded wars with the nimble savages !

Rip Van Winkle, after sleeping twenty years, awoke
to painful changes ; he was sadly out of date. It would
surely then be cruel, even if we had the power, to wake
old Peter Stuyvesant and the people of his day from
full two hundred years of slumber in our graveyards
just to criticise their dress and talk. Let us rather go

THE BEGINNINGS OF ALBANY.

41)

to sleep ourselves and dream about them. Take a good
strong dose of uua.ssorted, crude, colonial history inter-
spersed with annals, and the necessary drowsiness will
surely follow. Have you tried it ? Are you sure the
spell is not upon you now, having stopped 'to look at
Stuyvesant, and heard the dominie describe the Mo-
hawks ? The smoke of pipes and chimneys is at hand,
for here we are at old Fort Orange in the times of Teka-
kwitha. Let us look about, before the power to do it
fails us out of very sleepiness. We find ourselves within
a wall of stockadoes. The chief and his friends from
Kaghnuwage are undoing their packs of furs near the
northern gate of the town. We stand in Albany, at
the corner of Broadway and State Street, — but no I
those names are not yet in vogue. We are in Bever-
wyck, at the point where the long, rambling Handelaer
Street, running parallel with Hudson's Eiver, crosses the
broad, short Joncaer Street, which climbs some little dis-
tance up the hill. Before us is the old Dutch church.
It stands by itself, at the intersection of the two streets,
fronting south. It is a low, square, plain stone build-
ing, with a four-sided roof rising to a central summit
surmounted by a small cupola or belfry containing the
famous little bell just sent over from Holland by the
Dutch West India Company; on this belfry is upreared
a saucy little weathercock. The south porch or vesti-
bule is approached by a large stone step before the
principal door. If the church were not locked, we
might take a look inside at the carved oaken pulpit
with its queer little bracket for the dominie's hour-
glass. The burghers subscribed twenty-five beaver-
skins to buy that pulpit, and a splendid one it was,

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

■'il

It soon came sailing over the sea in a plump Dutch
ship. The patrons of the colony finding the beaver-
skins much damaged when the package was opened at
Amsterdam had added seventy-five guilders themselves
towards the purchase, besides presenting the bell out-
right. When Dominie Megapolensis first arrived in the
colony, " nine benches " were enough to seat the whole
congregation ^ but that was a generation ago. Now it
has increased; and the church, which was then a wooden
structure near the old fort by the river, has been rebuilt.
The Van Rensselaers, the Wendels, the Schuylers, and
the Van der Blaas have the leading pews ; they have
already sent to Europe for stained glass windows bla-
zoned with their family arms. Having seen the church,
let us walk up Joncaer (State) Street to the dominie's.
We pass through the market-place, which is out in the
middle of the open, grassy space, on a line with the
church. We stop a moment to look at the house of
Anneke Janse, the heiress, and then move on to Parrell
(Pearl) Street. There, on the northeast corner of Parrell
and Joncaer Streets, gable end foremost, stands the com-
fortable abode of Dominie Schaats, which is the pride
and envy of the town. Every part of this, the first
brick house in the New World, is said to have been
imported from Holland, — bricks, woodwork, tiles, and
also the ornamental irons with which it is profusely
adorned, — all expressly for the use of the Rev. Gideon
Schaets (or Schaats), who came over in 1652. The
materials of the house arrived simultaneously with the
bell and pulpit in 1657.^

1 See Annals of Albany, vol. i. p. 288. The dominie's house here
mentioned has since given place to the shop which is on the north-

THE BEGINNINGS OF ALBANY.

From Schaats' house we see, instead of a solitary " old
eliu-tree " on the opposite corner, many trees of differ-
ent kinds, one in front of each of the straggling houses
on either siae of Joncaer Street; and by the age of the
tree one can tell pretty well the order in which the
•different settlers anived and began to domesticate
themselves. This was no sooner done than the inevi-
table shade-tree was planted to overshadow the dwelling,
and beneath this tree they bring the cow each evening
to be milked. Around every house is a garden with a
well ; and the stoop at the front door is supplied with
wooden seats or benches. There old and young gather
in tlie evening when the day's work is over.

The upper half of the front door remains open all
day in summer, while the lower half bars out the stray
chickens and dogs. It is opened now and then, how-
ever, to let the children in and out.'and once in a while
a buxom vrouw leans out to chat with a passer-by, or
perhaps to scold the little ones or to bid them beware
of straying near the trading-house for fear of encounter-
ing a tipsy Indian. This trading-house is outside the
wall of stockadoes, or upright posts, encircling the town.
The traders of Beverwyck are all obliged "to ride their

cast comer of Pearl and State Streets. The house used by Megapolen-
sis, who was at Beverwyck from 1642 to 1649, and who concealed
Father Jogiies from the Indians, was where Shield's tobacco-factory
now stands, close to the site of old Fort Orange, and a little south of
it. It was built entirely of oak, and was purchased on the arrival of
Mewapolensis for a hundred and twenty dollars.

The patroon's first dominie wearied of his frontier work at Fort
Orange, and went to live at New Amsterdam in 1649. Dominie
Schaats was appointed to succeed him in the ministry of the church at
Beverwyck, where he officiated from 1652 to 1683.

KATEUI TEKAKWITIIA.

stockadoes," — that is to say, to furnish the pine posts,
thirteen feet long and one foot in diameter, for repairing
the wooden wall. This duty falls alike on every in-
habitant, at the command of the burgomasters and
schepens. They are furthermore bound to take turns
in drawing firewood to the trading-house for the use of
the Indians when they come there from the Maquaas
country loaded with packs of furs.

Above Dominie Schaats' house and on the same side
of Joncaer Street is the Corps de Garde, a small block
fort where a few soldiers are stationed. There the pro-
gress of our walk is checked by the stout wall of stocka-
does. One of the six gates or openings, however, is
near at hand, leading out on to the road to Schenectady.
We wish to see more of the place, and are at a loss, to
find our way ; so we accept the kindly offered guidance
of a little Schuyler lad, named Pieter, who stands talk-
ing to one of the soldiers. Already in his boyish days
this public-spirited Albanian takes an active interest in
the military defence of the place. He knows where all
the cannon are placed, and can tell us how they propose
to improve the fort and barracks on Joncaer Street. He
takes us out by the Parrell Street gate to a road lead-
ing southward toward the hamlet of Bethlehem. After
the boy has shown us the mills on the Bever Kill
(Buttermilk Creek) from which the village of Bever-
wyck was named, he takes us down to old Fort Orange
by the river-side.^ It has been a snug little fort in its

^ Fort O.ange stood on Broadway, close to the modern steamboat
landing of the " People's Line." A bi-centennial tablet, surrounded
with iron pickets, marks its northeast bastion. It extended back (acrosa
the freight-tracks that now mar its site) to Church Street.

Slli

OLD ALBANY. -DOMINIE SCHAATS' HOUSE.
{Corner of Joncaer ami Pcirrell t>treets).

t L

1 1

THE BEGINNINGS OF ALBANY.

day, built of logs with four bastions, each mounted by-
two guns for throwing stones, while in the enclosure
stands a large cannon on wheels close to the old trad-
ing-house of the West India Company. Since the new
one has been built, this is used as the vice-director's
house. It is twenty-six feet long, two stories high, con-
structed of boards one inch thick, with a roof in the
form of a pavilion covered with old shingles. The
space on the second floor is one undivided room di-
rectly under the roof without a chinmey, to which ac-
cess can be had by a straight ladder through a trap-
door.^ Here the magistrates administer justice. This
is for the time being the court-house of Beverwyck.

Fort Orange at the time of our visit is falling to de-
cay; Fort Willemstadt, on the contrary, the military
post at the head of Joncaer Street, is increasing in
importance. Near Fort Orange is the great pasture or
common where the cows of the burghers are grazing,
and there, a short distance below the fort, we see the
ferry-boat travelling slowly across the river to Green-
bosch. We have caught sight of several deer and wild
turkeys on the outskirts of the town, and we have passed
several patriarchal " negers " (as the magistrates of Fort
Orange spell the word) ; and here comes the special prop-
erty of Pete Schuyler in the shape of a black boy of his
own age, who is followed by a troop of sturdy children,
some of whom are the brothers and sisters of our young
guide. There, to be sure, are Guysbert, and Gertrude
(who is destined to wed Stephanus van Cortland) Alida
(who will add to her own name of Schuyler the name of

1 See O'Callaghan's History of New Netherland, vol. ii.

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

Van Rensselaer and afterwards Livingston) ; * while tod-
dling after these juvenile belles of Fort Orange come
Brant and Arent, their brothers, and still there are
others to come. These are the numerous children of
Philip Pieterseu Schuyler, who came over in 1650, and
of his fair vrouw Margritta van Slichtenhorst. This
good couple were married with great formality before
Dominie Schaats arrived, by Anton! de Hooges, the sec-
retary of the colony, whose nose has been immortalized
in the Highlands of the Hudson. Their son Pieter, our
little guide, is to be the first mayor of the city of Al-
bany ; while the distinguished Philip of a later date will
carry the name of Schuyler to a height of glory that
will linger round the shaft of the Saratoga monument
at Schuylerville for ages to come, and make it glow
with an added beauty!

But while our thoughts are thus running away with
us from Fort Orange, a farmer, Tennis van Vechten, com-
ing from Greenbosch with supplies for the Beverwyck
market, offers the children a ride into the town, which
they accept with a shout. This rouses us from our rev-
erie, and we follow the merry load as they jog along the
country road from Fort Orange to the nearest gate in
the stockade (about where the street now called Hudson
Avenue crosses Handelaer Street, or Broadway). With
a crack of the farmer's whip they drive rapidly down
into a sort of ravine, cross the Rutten Kill ^ on a bridge.

»li

* Alida mnrrieti Robeh Livingston, who was " secretary of Albany "
under Pieter Schuyler, the first mayor ; she was the great-grandmother
of Robert R. Livingston, the first Chancellor of New York State.

2 This creek, with its ravine, has entirely disappeared in the grading
of the modem street. •

THE BEGINNINGS OF ALBANY.

and ascend the opposite slope. The farmer soon passes
the door of the Dutch lieformed Church, wliere our
ramble began, and turning into Joncaer Street pulls up
his horses at the market-place. The children scamper
back across the Rutten Kill to the Schuyler store on
Handelaer Street, opposite Beaver Street, and pass on
down to the grassy river-side behind it, where a sloop is
moored. Their father is there overseeing the men who
are loading it with beaver-skins and other goods. The
day's work is nearly over. The sunlight is fading from
the hill-tops across the river. All will soon go in to
supper. If we were not too tired we might in a few
moments walk the whole length of Handelaer Street
towards the north gate. In that case we would have
a peep now and th^n through the half-open curtains of
the scattered houses ; for see ! they are beginning to
light up for the evening meal. In passing along we
would probably startle the dogs from their kennels
in the gardens, and hasten the farewells of the lovers
who linger on the front stoops in the gathering dusk.
Then issuing by the north gate (where Steuben Street
comes into Broadway), we might go by moonlight to the
Patroon's house, between which and Beverwyck are
corn-fields where the burghers grow corn for their slaves
and also for their horses, pigs, and poultry. We would
then be not far from the Patroon's mills, where all the
settlers are in duty bound to go, and not elsewhere, to
have their sawing and grinding done. These mills are
on the Fifth, or Patroon's Kill, counting from the Nor-
man's Kill near Kenwood.

We must not leave the neighborhood of Fort Orange
and Beverwyck until we have been to a trading-house

katp:ui tekakwitha.

•ill

just outside of the stockade (Peiuberton's was used for
such a purpose at one time, aud also the Glenu House).
There we shall have an opportunity to listen to some
such conversation as the following between a Dutch
trader and an Indian.^ Let us suppose that the trader
on this occasion is one of the enterprising burghers
whom we encountered during our walk on Joncaer Street,
and the Indian a Mohawk warrior in the company of
Tekakwitha's uncle, who, as we have seen, travelled from
Gandawague for the purpose of bartering his furs at
Beverwyck.

" Indian. Brother, I am come to trade with you ; but I
forewarn you to be more moderate in your demands than
formerly.

" Trader. Why, brother, are not my goods of equal value
with those you had last year 1

** Indian. Perhaps they are ; but mine are more valua-
ble because more scarce. The Great Spirit, who has with-
held from you strength and ability to provide food aud
clothing for yourselves, has given you cunning and art to
make guns and provide scaura (rum), and by speaking smooth
words to simple men, when they have swallowed madness,
you have by little and little purchased their hunting-grounds
aud made them corn-lands. Thus the beavers grow more
scarce, and deer fly farther back ; yet after I have reserved
skins for my mantle and the clothing of my wife, I will ex-
change the rest.

" Trader. Be it so, brother ; I came not to wrong you, or
take your furs against your will. It is true that the beavers

1 The iialogue here given is from Mrs. Grant's " Memoirs of an
Americnn L.^(ly." Mrs. Grant describes a later periocl of Albany his-
tory ; but the way of trading with the Indians was about the same in
her day as at the time of Tekakwitha.

TIIK UKGl^NINGS Oh' ALBANY.

tiro fewer and you go further for them. Come, brother, let
utt deal fair first and smoke friendly afterwards. Your last
gun eust fifty beaver-skins ; you shall have this for fort} ;
and you shall give marten and raccoon skins in the same
proportion for powder and shot.

*^ Indian. \Vell» brother, that is equal. Now, for two
silver bracelets, with long pendent ear-rings of the same,
43uch as you sold to Cardarani in the sturgeon month lust
jear, — how much will you demand?

" Trader. The skins of two deer for the bracelets and
those of two fawns for the ear-rings.

" Indian. That is a great deal ; but wampum grows
scarce, and silver never rusts. Here are the skins.

" Trader. Do you buy any more 1 Here are knives,
hatchets, and beads of all colors.

^^ Indian. I will have a knife and a hatchet, but must
not take more. The rest of the skins will be little enough
to clothe the women and children, and buy wampimi. Your
beads are of no value ; no warrior who has slain a wolf will
wear them.*

" Trailer. Here are many things good for you which you
have not skins to buy; here is a looking-glass, and here
is a brass-kettle in which your woman may boil her maize,
her beans, and above all her maple sugar. Here are silver
brooches, and here are pistols for your youths.

" Indian. The skins I can spare will not purchase them.

^^ Trader. Your will determines, brother; but next year
you will want nothing but powder and shot, having already
purchased your gun and ornaments. If you will purchase

* " The Indians have a great contempt, comparatively, for the b-iads
"we send thum, which they consider as only fit for those plebeians who
cannot by their exertions win anytliing better. They estimate them,
compared with their own wampum, as we do pearls compared with
^ste."

KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

from mo a blanket tu wrap around you, a shirt and blue
Stroud for under-gurmonts for yourself and your woman, and
tho same for leggings, this will pass the time, and save you
the great trouble of dressing the skins, making tho thready
etc., for your clothing, which will give you more Hshing and
hunting time in tho sturgeon and bear months.

" Indian. But the custom of my fathers !

" Trader. You will not break tho custom of your fathers,
by being thus clad for a single year. They did not refuse-
those things which were never offered to them.

" Indian. For this year, brother, I will exolmngo my skins ;.
in the next I shall provide ajjparel more befitting a \viirrior»
One pack alone I will reserve to dress for a future ocean' ,
The summer must not find a warrior idle.

" Tho terms being adjusted and tho bargain concluded^
the trader thus shows his gratitude for liberal dealing.

" Trader. Corhier has forbid bringing scaura to steal away
tho wisdom of the warrior, but wo white men are weak and
cold ; we bring kegs for ourselves, lest death arise from the
swamps. Wo will not sell scaura ; but you shall taste some
of ours in return for tho venison with which you have
feasted us.

"Indian, Brother, wo will drink moderately.

" A bottle was then given to the warrior by way of a.
present, which he was advised to keep long, but found it
irresistible. He soon returned with the reserved pack of
skins, earnestly urging the trader to give him beads, silver
brooches, and above all scaura, to their full amount. This^
with affected reluctance at parting with the private stocky
was at last yielded. The warriors now, after giving loose
for a while to frantic mirth, began the war-whoop, and made
the woods resound with infuriate bowlings. ... A long and
deep sleep succeeded, from which they awoke in a state of
dejection and chagrin such as no Indian had felt under any

THE BEGINNINGS OF ALBANY

other circumstauccs. Thoy folt as Milton (IchcHIks Adinn
aud Evo to bavo duno after their truiiHgruttHtuii."

The news of a massacre of whito settlers ut l^^opus
(Kingston), by tho Kiver Indians or Mohegans, June
7, 1G63, when Tekakwitha was seven years old, Ciiiihed
great excitement both at Gandawague and at liover-
wyck. Fort Orange was put in a thorougli state of
defence, the treaty with tiie Mohawks was renewed,
and three pieces of artillery, loaned by Van Reussalaer
for the protection of lieverwyck, " were placed on the
church." " Nevertheless so great was the alarm that
the out-settlers fled for protection to tho fort called
Cralo, erected on the Patroon's farm at Greenbush, where
they held night and day regular watch."

A year later, in 16G4, at the time when the juvenile
betrothal of Tekakwitha, already mentioned, took place
at Gandawague, — that having occurred, as we are
told,when she was eight years old, — an entirely new
order of things was brought about in the Dutch colony.
The new settlement of Arent van Corlaer at Schenec-
tady, the house where her uncle traded at Fort Orange,
and the hamlet of Beverwyck, together with the whole of
the New Netherlands, passed over into the hands of the
English. Henceforth, instead of appealing to their High
Mightinesses the Lords States General of Holland for
redress of grievances, the settlers of the State of New
York were to bow to the decisions of his Majesty King
Charles II., who then sat securely on the throne of Eng-
land, four years having elapsed since the downfall of the
Conimon wealth.

This change in the colony from Dutch to English
rule was accomplished quietly and peaceably, to the great

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

I'!

"iir

n:.

disgust and indignation of the warlike governor, Peter
Stuyvesunt, who was ready to buckle ou his lieavy
armor, take up his sword, and fight the " malignant
English," were they as ten to one. But the settlers
were matter-of-fact farmers and traders, lovers of peace,
caring little for glory and not overnmch for their far-
away fatherland. So long as their commercial, domestic,
and religious rights were respected, they were willing
enough to do homage to King Charles. So in 1664,
New Amsterdam, into whose harbor, said a boastful in-
habitant, as many as fifteen vessels were known to have
anchored in the course of one year, became New York,
taking its name from the title of the king's brother,
afterward James II. Beverwyck, which had grown up
under the guns of Fort Orange, was henceforth to be
called Albany ; and an English govern ur took the reins
of colonial government from the hands of Peter Stuy-
vesant. The British flag floated gayly over fort and
vessel, and before many years had passed it was found
necessary to employ an English schoolmaster in Albany,
and later to build an English church ^ on Joncaer Street.
When young Pieter Schuyler was still learning his
lessons in Dutch at Fort Orange, and the little Teka-
kwitha was stringing her wampum beads at Ganda-
wague, — while her uncle journeyed frequently back and
forth from the Mohawk castle to the trading-post on the

1 This first English church was not far from the spot where St.
Peter's Episcopal Church, on State Street, now ujirears its beautiful
square tower with projecting gargoyles. The original structure, how-
ever, stood otit in the centre of the street, while the site of the present
church was occupied by the earthworks and buildings of the second
fort.

THE BEGINNINGS UF ALBANY.

Hudson, stopping sometimes at Sclienectiuly to see liis
friend Corlaer, and taking Lis family with him now
and tlien to fish at the mouth of the Xorman's Kill
(near the place called Tawaseutha*), — unsuspected pre-
parations for a surprise were ^oing forward iu Canada.
A war-cloud was gatheriu^ in the north, soon to break
with terrible effect on the three Mohawk castles, and to
startle the Governor of the Province of New York into
a protest against the advance of armed troops of King
Louis XIV. of France into tlie colonial dominions of his
Majesty Charles II. of England. These dominions had
been so recently acquired b} the English King that the
French at Quebec thought they still belonged to the
States General of Holland.

1 See Appendix, Note C.

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER VI.

AN ARMY ON SNOW-SHOES.

THE year IGGG was, indeed, an eventful one. It
opened with a heavy snow-storm, and others fol-
lowed until the whole Mohawk Valley was covered
with a deptli of feathery whiteness. At its eastern end
a dark pool lay at the foot of Cohoes Falls, where the
frosty spray of the roaring cataract glistened on every
tiny bush, and the black cliffs on either side frowned
from under their snowy caps at the silent meeting of
two frozen rivers ; off to the west, at the distant Mo-
hawk castle of Tionnontogen, the " Nose " lay frost-
bitten at a sudden turn of the valley, its long, stiff
point thrust down into the ice, and fastened there as if
held in a vice. Throughout the length of the glitter-
ing, smooth depression between these two points, the
jVIohawk seemed to be fast asleep beneath its thick
mantle of snow.

In tlie wliole valley there was only one hamlet of
quiet Dutchmen, who had settled themselves at Cor-
laer (or Schenectady), while in the great bend were
nestled the snug bark huts of the Indians with their
surrounding palisades. A chain of Mohawk castles lay
on the south side of tlie river, linked togetlierby a single
trail, — a nan'ow footpath through the snow along the
lower terrace, which is now occupied by the West Shore
Railway. Tliis trail connected the lodges of the three

AN AUMY ON SNOW-SHOES.

great Mohawk clans, — the Bears of Anda^'oron in the
centre, with the Turtles of (landa\vaj,nie and the Wolves
of Tionnoutogen on either side. Then it extended east-
ward through dreary solitudes to Schenectady and, on
the other hand, far westward tlirough lonely passes to the
castles of the Oneidas ; thence on to the Onondagas,
the Cayugas, and, la.st of all, to the Senecas. How cold
and yet how secure tho.se Iroquois Indians of the Five
Nations felt in their fastnesses ! For hundreds of miles
to the north and to the south of them lay the all-cover-
ing snow, unmarked by other human fo(jtpri!its than
their own in search of game. The lands of their Algon-
quin foes, though bordering their own domain, were
long journeys off. The Dutch settlers at Schenectady
iind Albany were right within their grasp, should they
choose to distress them ; but they had solemnly pledged
their friendship to them in the Tawasentha Valley (" At
the Place of many Dead "), and they meant to keep their
word. The French, however, they delighted to torment.
The settlements at Quebec, Three Rivers, and Montreal
were separated from the Five Nations by the great path-
less Adirondack wilderness of mountains and forest, and
yet two ways were open by which they might reach the
French. One of their war-paths led from Onondaga
Lake along the Oswego River and Lake Ontario ; then
through the Thousand Islands and down the rapids of
the St. Lawrence River. Tlie reverse of this route was
taken by the venturesome French colonists who, as we
have seen, endeavored to make a t^ettlement in the heart
of the Iroquois country about the time of Tekakwitha's
birth. Their hairbreadth escape from Onondaga soon
nfter by the same route put an end to all thought of set-

KATERI TKKAKWITHA.

tling what the French considered a part of New France.
Tliis was the region now known as Onondaga County^
which the Onondaga Indians themselves have claimed
from prehistoric times as their birthright, and hold
yet under the name of the Onondaga Reservation ;.
and here, now, in the heart of this great State, in spite
of the encroacliments of two hundred years of civilization^
in spite of the teachings of Christianity all about them,
in spite of the covetous longings of many a white man,
they still keep a foothold, and maincain the practice of
their old pagan rites and customs.

The great western route through the Oswego and
St. Lawrence rivers to Canada, belonging by first right
to these Ououdagas, was travelled many times dur-
ing Tekakwitha's childhood by the Onondaga states-
man Garaconti^. He frequently restored captives to
the French at Quebec, and tried often but in vain to
keep peace between them and his own race.

The second and more direct of the two great war-
paths to Canada was the route of the Mohawks. No
wonder the Caniengas tormented the French settle-
ments on the St. Lawrence. Starting from their cas-
tles in the Mohawk Valley, and taking any one of
tliree or more trails that crossed or skirted our present
Saratoga County, they had but to strike Lake George,
follow the lake to its outlet, traverse the length of Lake
Champlain, and thence pass through the Richelieu, Sorel,
or Iroquois River (it was known by all these names)»
and they were ready to destroy the grain, and tomahawk
or take captive the wives and children of the Canadian
settlers. . The French had built ll-.ree forts on this
Richelieu (or Iroquois) River to check their inroads, — -

AN ARMY ON SNOW-SHOES.

Fort liichelieu, Fort St. Louis, and Fort St. Thdrfese,
— and were now only waiting till spring opened to
erect a fourth, to be called Fort St. Anne, on an island
at the northern end of Lake Cliaiuplain.

Samuel de Champlain, the first Frenchman who set
foot on New Yctrk soil, was chiefly responsible for the
long-continued wars between his countrymen and the
Iroquois, he having fired without provocation on a band
of Iroquois warriors, probably Mohawks, when he first
sailed into the lake which bears his name. By re-
peated outrages on the Canadian frontier the Mohawks
had amply revenged themselves for that first affront ;
and by the end of the year 1665 they had goaded the
French into a determination to brave unheard of risks
and frightful sufferings, that they might punish their
savage enemies in a manner that M'ould for once and
all humiliate and subdue them. Thus it was that on
the 9th of January, 1666, a heroic army composed of
three hundred regular French troops of the regiment
Carignan-Sali^res, veterans who had seen service in
Turkey in the wars of Louis XIV., together with
two hundred hahitans, or hardy volunteers from the
Canadian colony, all under the command of M. da
Courselle, Governor of Canad,a, were fairly started on
a march from Quebec to the Mohawk castles. They
intended to push on without delay to their destination
through snow and ice, over rivers and lakes, by the
great Mohawk route. It had been travelled hitherto
only by Indians, captives, and a few missionaries, with
now and then perhaps a solitary adventurer; rarely,
indeed, by any even of these in the depth of winter.
This army of De Oourselle's was the very first of a great

KATKIII TKKAKWITIIA.

.'i:'

succcfssidii (»r pahsl'ncc. urniics tliiit liiivc vouw. Iran piii^^
ov(!r tli(! siiiiK! VDwUt dmiiij,' llio lust two ccntiiiics. U'
Jlurj^oyne's iiinicli lo tlio SaiaUi^'ii liiiUle-lic^M was tlio
liKist ruinous of ill! these, I)(! ( 'oiirselle's iiianli to the
Alohawk was certainly the lirst and tli(! most hiiioic; in
ita slnij^f^'lc! with unpamlhiliMl (lilliculties.

"This march eould not but lie tedious, every ono
havin^f snow-shous on Ins feet, to the use of which nono
were uecuslonnMl ; and all, not excejitin^f the onietirs or
even M. do ('ourselle himself, Ix'in;^ loaded each with
from twenty-live to thirty pounds of biscuit, clothing',
and other nec(!ssaries." ^ it did, inde(!d, r(!(iuire a Frrnck
courage to undertake such tin exjiedition. " Many had,
as early as the third day, parts of tluj body I'rozen,
and were so benumbed by the cold that they had to
bo carried to the; place where they were to jiass the
night." The 2r»th of .January was especially severe, and
many soldiers wcjre oV)liged to be taken back to the
settlements, " of whom some had the legs cut by the
ice, and others the hands or the arms or other ])arts of
the body altogether frozen." The ranks were filled up
awiin at Forts St. Loui-s and St. Ther&.se, on the Uiche-
lieu River, wluire the trooi)s assembled on tlu; 30th of
the same month ; and being still five hundred strong,
they ])uslied liravely on over the snow that lay so
level and smooth on the frozeti ])osom of Lake Cham-
plain. Here the rout(i lay ])lainly before thc^n, and
they were counting on Algonquin guides to show them
the way to the Mohawk ca.stles after they got to the

1 See OTallaRliaii's " Docuinentfiry History of \e\v York," vol. i.
for iiapers relating to this expedition of (Governor ile Cour.selle to the
Alohawk Hiver.

AN AUMY ON SNOW-SIKjK.S.

lit!

ill

(IK!

mo
or

iih

snutlicrn oiicl of I^ukn Si. Siicrament (Like (icoiijc).
Tliu fjiKJW was " Imnl IVozoii, tliou^^h in iiio.st places four
lootu (loop ; iiiid hesiiluH usin^ Indiuii snow-shoes, which
hath the very lorm of a Uackett tyed to each lo(»te,
wlierel)y the body and feet are ktipt from siidcin^' into
the snow, . . . the (Jovernor caused alight sledges to ho
made in good number, and laying provisions upon them
drew them over the snow with mastive doggs."

The shivering tro(»ps wrapped their blankets tightly
round them as they lay down to sleep on the snow at
the foot (;f Mount jhsliance, or threaded the narrow val-
ley leading to Lakedeorge. Tho awkward soldier strid-
ing ov(!r tho snow fumbles with frost-bitten fingers in
his knajjsack for the last of his biscuits. As ono might
have foretold, he has stepped on the snow-shoo of his
comrade, and botli go ])lunging head-foremost into tln3
snow. Tho dogs jogging on beside them, unchecked for
a moment, run wildly on, barking aloud and scattering
tho load of the toboggan to which they are attached.
Tho articles are rescued piecemeal by IIkj S(jldi(!rs all
along tho lino. There is no time to stop, liowever, —
they must march on or starve; so, giving thciir fallen
comrades momitntary help to set them on their fe(it
again, they are left to fall into lino as best tln-y may
and just in time to bring up tho rear.

As the army passes over Like G(;org(j, in tho shadow
of Hlack Mountain, how eagerly De Courselle looks back
at his staggering column of men ! Were he in a less
serious mood, he miglit be inclined to smih; at the
efforts of the gallant troops of the regiment Carignan-
Saliferes to maintain an orderly march on tho unac-
customed snow-shoes ; but the anxious commander has

KATEUI TEKAKWITIIA.

;' '

other thoughts than these. Where are his Algonquin
guides ? Have the rascals failed him ? Calling the
Jesuit chaplain, Father liaffuix, to his side, a consulta-
tion ensues. They are already nearing the future site
of Fort William Henry, and there the trails divide.
They scan the shores of the lake and search the islands,
but neither Algonquin friend nor Iroquois foe is in
sight. They know that if they march on until they
reach the Hudson and follow it down, they will find
the Dutch at Fort Orange, but that is not their object.
They long for a chance to strike a decisive blow at the
Mohawk castles. If they can once convince the Mo-
hawks that they are not secure in their forest homes
from the armies of France nor the strong revengeful
arm of Onnontio,* a treaty will afterwards be of some
value. The Jesuit Father who talks with De Courselle
dreams already of a mission established among them
as the result of that future treaty. With ardent enthu-
siasm he sees in anticipation an army of Jesuits march
to a spiritual attack on the citadel of Satan upreared in
the Iroquois country. His heart thrills at the thought
of rcacliing the spot where Isaac Jogues was martyred.
Father Lemoyne, the second Ondessonk, has died since
then. The Onondagas tliat very year sent presents to
Quebec to wipe away the tears shed for his death, thus
expressing their sorrow and their admiration for his
character. Father Raffeix cheers with zealous words
tlie drooping spirits of the soldiers, tlien kneels amid
the snows of Lake St. Sacrament, and in the true
spirit of his order, prays in his heart for a share in the
glorious work of continuing Ondessonk's mission.

1 A nnmc wliicli the Indians giive to the Governor of Canada.

li,

AN AKMY ON SNOW-SHOES.

The army of De Courselle at the southern end of Lake
George was uncertain wliich trail to follow. At the
Turtle Castle on the Mohawk the Indians had no knowl-
edge of the march of their enemies, else there would
have been great alarm at Gandawague ; for all the
ablest warriors of the three castles, in company with
the Oneidas, were making war on the tribe called Wara-
pum-makers. Only boys and helpless old men were
left in the lodges with the women. They knew noth-
ing of De Courselle and his army so near at hand, but,
like their Dutch neighbors at Schenectady, were ear-
nestly fighting their nearer and more pitiless foe the
bitter winter. All the fuel near their lodges had been
burned long ago ; and now they are searching the snow-
drifts for fagots and branches fallen from the trees.
The cold is intense. The wind that whistles through
the palisades of the Turtle village is the same sharp
blast that is pinching De Courselle's army.

At Gandawague, outside of the palisade is a little girl
on snow-shoes, only nine years old, who with imperfect
sight is groping her way through the blinding storm.
The snow is drifting wildly about. The one whom she
ealls mother is only an aunt, and the aunt is cold and
cross to-day. She sits by the dying embers there in
the lodge of tlie absent chief, and by turns she shivers
and scolds. The other women beside her are equally
cheerless. The little niece, who has missed the kindly
look she knows well how to win from her Mohawk
uncle by welcome services when he is there in the lodge,
has taken it into her head this comfortless da}* to sur-
prise her cross old aunts and her adopted sister. So
she has quietly tied on her snow-shoes and ventured

i1
1

KATEUI TKKAKVVITIIA.

out. Sho is in the forest, alone, searching for fagots.
On her forehead is a burden-strap, made from lilanients
of bass-wood bark, the ends twisted into a kind of
Indian rope. With it she fastens the fagots together,
bearing them on her back. Her liands are tingling
with cold ; but she plunges them deep into the smjw in
an effort to break the larger twigs, while she hurries on
to increase her load. She is happier now in the howl-
ing storm than sho was in tlie pent lodge, and smiles,
as she thinks of the blazing fire she will make to warm
the feet and thaw the heart of her morose old aunt.
Ah ! Tekakwitha, that grim old squaw is training you»
without knowing it, for heroic things. lint after all,
the aunt is not a neglectful guardian. After a while
she misses the child, and questions all in the lodge ;
then peers out into the storm and shrinks back, shud-
dering. Has she indeed allowed Tekakwitha to wander
out and perish in the cold ? In that case what will she
be able to say to the uncle when he returns ; what will
become of her own plans for the girl? As time goes
on, there comes a faint scuffling at the door ; the heavy
curtain is lifted a little and falls again. No one has.
entered. Hurrying to the door, the old squaw thrusts,
the curtain afiide, and there she beholds the child stag-
gering under her load of wood, stiff and helpless from
the cold. Leaving the fagots at the door, she lifts her
gently in her arms and takes her to the fire, which ia
soon blazing brightly, fed by the new supply of wood
quickly thrown upon it. But the glow of the fire,
round which they all gather, is not half so cheering to
the heart of the frostbitten child as the glow of love
she has awakened in the lodge by her sweet unselfish

AN AUMY ON SNOW-SHOES.

care fur their comfort. This once, at least, they give
Iter the wannest seat, and till lier bowl brimful with the
freshly maile sagamite ; then tht.*y (question her about
her walk, and wonder how she escaped Ijein^' buried in
the snow. Tekakwitha smiles with happy content, and
answers their questions with a ready wit. l?he makes
tliem laugh us she tells them a merry story of how the
north-wind slapped her in the face and bound iier fast
to the liickory-tree against which she stumbled in the
storm. In her heart she is saying all the time, as she
watches the cheery light of the fire, " I will do it
again."

Iiut where is J!)e Courselle now and his army on
snow-shoes ? We left them at the southern end of Lake
George. There they took the trail that met the Hudson
at its great bend to the southward near CUenn's Falls.
Then after crossing the river they followed a straight
trail leading a little west of south, and passed between
Saratovj'a Lake and Owl Pond or Lake Lonely. Next
they followed up the valleys of Kayaderosseras Creek
and the Mourning Kill to Ballston Lake ; but there,
happily for Tekakwitha's people, they made a mistake.*
Instead of taking the trail that branched off to the west
at the northern end of Ballston Lake, and led di-
rectly to the Mohawk castles, they followed the straight
trail southward ; so instead of surprising the Mohawks,
they themselves were indeed surprised to find that it
brought them to a hamlet, not of Indians, but of Dutch-
men, — not subjects of Holland at all, but colonists sub-
ject to England. They were greatly bewildered. We

* These facts are to be found in a note by Gen. J. S. Clark, given in
the Appendix, Note D, •' Mohawk Trails."

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KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

are told ia an old London document* that M.
Courselle encamped —

, . it- '■

"upon the 9* of February within 2 myles of a small village
called Schonectado, lying in the woods beyond fort Albany
in ye territoryes of his Koyall highness, and 3 dayes march
from the iirst castle of the Mohaukts.

** The French suposed they were then come to their de-
signed place, and the rather because y* evening they did ran-
counter w"" a party of the Mohaukes who made appearance
of retreating from the French, whereupon a party of GO of
their best Fuzileers after them, but that small party drew
Hhe French into an ambuscade of neare 200 Mohaukes
planted behind trees, (who taking their advantage as it fell
into their hands) at one volley slew eleuen French men
whereof one was a Lieuten* wounded divors others, the
french party made an honorable retreit to their body,
w** was marching after them close at hand, w*" gave the
Mohawkes tyme and opportunity to march oflF w"* the loss
of only 3 slaine upon the plaice and 6 wounded, the report
whereof was soone brought to Schonecktade by those In-
dians, with the heads of 4 of the fFrench to the Commissary
of the Village who immediately despatched the newes to
Fort Albany, from whence the next day 3 of the principle
inhabitants were sent to Monsier Coursell the Govenio' of
Canada to inquire of his intention to bring such a body of
armed men into the dominions of his Ma*** of Great Brittaine,
w^ut acquainting the Govemo' of these parts w*" his de-
signes. The Govemo' reply** that he came to seeke out and
destroy his ennemyes the Mohaukes without intention of
visiting their plantations, or else to molest any of his Ma"**

* See O'Callaghan's "Documentary History," vol. i., from which
are quoted all the passages here given referring to De Courselles and
De Tracy's expeditions.

AN ARMY CN SNOW-SHOES.

subjects, aud that [he] had not heard of the redr ^ng those
parts to his Mu"** obedience, but desired timt hco and his
soldiers might bee supphed with provisions for their money,
and that his wounded men might be sucourcd, and taken
care for in Albany; To all which the Emissaryes freely
consented and made a small but acceptable present of v^ine
and provisions to him, further offering the best accommo-
dations y' poore vijlage afforded, w*'' was civilly refus'd, in
regard there was not accommodacon for his soldyers, with
whom he had marcht and campt under the blew canopye of
the heavens full six weekes, but hee prudently foresaw a
greater inconvenience if hee brought his weary and half
«tarv'd people within the smell of a chimney comer, whom
hee now could keepe from stragling or running away, not
knowing whither to runu for feare of y' Indians ; The next
day Monsieur Corsell sent his men to the village where
they were carefully drest and sent to Albany, being seaven
in number, the Dutch bores carryed to the camp such pro-
visions as they had, and were too well payd for it ; Espe-
cially peaz and bread, of w*'' a good quantity was bought ;
y* Mohaukes were all gone to their Castles, with resolution
to fight it out against the ffrench, who being refresht and
supplyed w*" the aforesaid provisions made a shew of march-
ing towards the Mohaukes Castles, but with faces about
and great sylence and dilligence retum'd towards Cannada.
. . . Those who observed the words and countenance of
Monsieur Coursell, saw him disturbed in minde that the
king was Master of these parts of the Country, saying that
the king of England did graspe at all America. . . . Two
prisoners taken by the Mohaukes in the retreate tell them
y* this summer another attempt will be made upon their
country, with a greater force and supplyes of men, the
truth or success of which I shall not now discourse upon,
having given the trew relation of what past from ye 29"'
December to the 12* of February."

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

Another and larger force did attack the Mohawk
castles in the year 1666, as hinted at in the lines just
quoted, but not until late in the autumn ; and at that
time Tekakwitha was disturbed and distressed far more
than she had been by the misdirected march of the
" army on snow-shoes."

D£ TRACY fiUR^S TU£ MOHAWK CASTLES. 75

CHAPTEK VII.

DE TRACY BURNS THE MOHAWK CASTLES. — FALL OE

TIONNONTOGElt

IN the summer following De Courselle's expedition,
ten deputies from the nations of the Iroquois
League met at Quebec, and signed a treaty of peace.
In addition to strange pictures which were the marks
of the Indian chiefs, the document bears the signature
of Daniel de Courselle, Governor of Canada, and that of
" Lord de Tracy, member of his Majesty's Councils and
Lieutenant-General of his armies both in the Islands
and mainland of South and North America." The
treaty is also signed by the Jesuits, Le Mercier and
Chaumouot, as interpreters of the Iroquois and Huron
languages. It states that the orator and chief, called
Soenres, announced " the object of the Embassy by ten
^alks expressed by as many presents," and also that he
brought letters from the officers of New Netherland.
The substance of his harangue was that the Indians
wanted peace, and they asked that blackgowns might
be sent to teach them. They promised to listen to their
preaching and to adore the God of the French. They
also offered to trade with the Canadians by way of Lake
St Sacrament, and assured them of a welcome in
their lodges. What more could be desired ? But, alas !
scarcely were the ambassadors two or three days' jour-

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

ney from Quebec, when news came of tlie surprisal by
the Mohawks of some Frenchmen belouginj,' to Fort
St. Anne who had gone to the chase, and of the murder
of a captain in the Carignan regiment.

The time for peace had not yet come. The Mohawks
liad not been fairly represented in the embassy ; they
were far from being awed by the fruitless march of
De Courselle to the Mohawk Valley. The French had
yet to strike the decisive blow. M. de Tracy resolved,
" despite his advanced age, to lead in person against
these Barbarians an army composed of six hundred sol-
diers drafted from all the companies, and of six hundred
habitans of the country," to which were added one hun-
dred Huron aiid Algonquin savages. This was mor than
twice the number of the original army of De Courselle,
who, still bent on victory, determined to accompany this
second expedition. The general rendezvous was at Fort
St. Anne, newly built, as had been planned, on an island
in Lake Champlain. On the 3d of October, 1666, all
were ready to start. Three hundred vessels were there
to bear them over the placid bosom of the lake, whose
wooded shores were now aglow with October coloring.
The vessels were light batteaux and bark canoes, which
could be carried from lake to lake and from stream to
stream. There was great difficulty at the carries, how-
ever, with two small cannon which they took with them
for the purpose of forcing the Iroquois fortifications.
Grown wiser by experience, they also made sure of their
guides.

The expedition moved forward as secretly and
noiselessly as possible through Lake Champlain and
then Lako George; but the quick eye of an Iroquois

DE TRACY BURNS THE MOHAWK CASTLES. 77

hunter, Iiigb ou a mountain, espied the fleet of butteaux
on the lake, and bounding through the forest to the first,
or Turtle, castle on the Mohawk, his cry of alarm start-
led the people of Gandawague, and Tekakwitha among
the rest, from their accustomed occup'^tions. Hastily
gathering together their treasures, they fled at once
to Andagoron, the Castle of the Bears. Thence, after
spreading the alarm through the outlying hamlets and
holding a hurried consultation, they all retired to Tion-
nontogen, the third, or Castle of the Wolves, hidden be-
hind the Nose. There they stored an abundant supply
of grain, and prepared to defend themselves. This cas-
tle of Tionnontogen was the strongest of their fortifica-
tions. It had a triple palisade. The spot where it stood
can easily be found at the present day. One has but to
leave the West Shore Railway at Spraker's Basin, — a
small station on the south side of the Mohawk River,
just east of Canajoharie and Palatine Bridge, — then
follow a road which winds up the hill to a farm a few
rods distant, which was owned in 1885 by Mitchell
Like the other village-sites, already described, it is on
high ground, or the upper-river terrace. Near the farm-
house is a large spring, surrounded by shade-trees, in the
centre of a meadow. It is now frequented principally \
by thirst.y cows ; but it was once the chief water-supply
of the Mohawk castle. Behind the house is a perfectly
level plateau ; from it the land descends on its northern
side by steep terraces to the Mohawk, and to the west
it sinks rapidly into a picturesque ravine, where straw-
berries, wintergreen berries, rare ferns, and little pink
flowers grow in abundance. Flat Creek flows through
the ravine. On this plateau many iron hatchets and

;i I!

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

.Luei.

wagor -loads of Indian relics of various kinds have been
found.*

There the castle of Tionnontogen stood at the time
of De Tracy's expedition. The view up the river at
that point is extensive and beautiful ; but in the oppo-
site direction, or down the river, a sharp turn of the
valley shuts out frt m sight the narrow opening or pass
between the Nose and the other similar mountain on
tlie south side of the river, whi ^'^, as one travels round
the bend, seems to approach and finally to overlap it.
The name of the castle was significant, — Tionnontogen,
or " Two Mountains approaching." Where else could it
possibly have been in the whole valley but right there
by the Nose ? Their friends, the Oneidas, lay to the
•westward of them, and their enemies mostly to the east-
ward ; it was but natural, then, that they should build
their principal fort tar enough up the river to bring it
behind the overlapping mountains. In order to reach
Tionnontogen the army of De Tracy had to come through
that narrow pass. The people who were lying in wait
at the castle, though on high ground, would not there-
fore be able to see their enemies approaching till they
had rounded the Nose, and were close upon them.

After disembarking at the head of the lake, De Tracy
led his army, by way of an Indian trail, southeasterly
about nine miles to Glenn's Falls,^ where he crossed the
Hudson, thence passing south of Moreau Pond and east

1 The most interesting of these are in the collection of Mr. Frey, of
Palatine Bridge.

' The march of De Tracy as here given was traced out by General
€lark from a copy which he has of a map relating to the expeditions of
De Tracy and De Courselle. The original map is preserved in the Paris
archives.

I *:

DE TRACY BURNS THE MOHAWK CASTLES.

been

■of Mount McGregor, through Doe's Corners, near Stiles
Hill, and then near Glen Mitchell to Saratoga Springs,
following substantially the present highway along the
base of the ridge of hills south of Mount McGregor.
From Saratoga the expedition passed near Ballston, and
thence slightly curving seems to have proceeded in a
very direct course to the Mohawk castles, which lay off to
the westward. One of the trails leading in that direction
struck the Mohawk Biver at Kinaquariones, or Hoffman's
Ferry, and another at Amsterdam. From this latter
point, a short march up the Mohawk Valley brought De
Tracy to Gandawague. One after another, he captured
the deserted towns of the Mohawks without striking
a single blow. First Gandawague, then Andagoron, —
both on the south side of the river, — with possibly one
•or more smaller towns, fell into his hands ; and on he
wen '> to Tionnontogen, marching proudly up the valley
with his two cannon, brought with such difficulty from
Canada, and his Algonquin allies, who had faithfully
guided him into the very heart of the Mohawk country,
-and his brave army of twelve hundred picked men,
armed cap-a-pie in all the panoply of civilized warfare.
Never before was anything like it seen in that wild
region. Only three or four hundred Mohawk warriors,
all told, were gathered behind the palisades of Tionnon-
togen to oppose him. There was no time to summon
their allies, the Oneidas, to their assistance. The move-
ments of the French had been too rapid. They had
only time to crowd together the women and children
into their strongest fortress of defence, and there await
the result, whatever it might be.

Could the Mohawks soon

forget the ruin that the

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

French soldiers wrought on their way from Gandawague ?
Even the child Tekukwitha must have been stirred with
a feeling of indignation and a cruel sense of wrong, as
that foreign army came nearer and nearer to her place of
refuge, moving steadily on through her own fair valley,
with a march like the march of fate, — destroying all
that came in its way, wreaking its vengeance on c^tu-
field and cabin, in baffled fury at finding no foe to slay.
With ever increasing horror and anxious bewilderment,
she \7atched and waited with her people in the castle of
Tionnontogen. He uncle and all the Canienga warriors
had staked everything they possessed on its defence.
They had stored their provisions for the winter carefully
away inside of its stout palisade. It was, as already
mentioned, a triple palisade, twenty feet in height,
and flanked by four bastions ; that is to say, there were
three distinct rows of upright posts encircling the town.^
The main or central wall of thick-set overlapping pali-
sadoes had an inner and an outer platform, or scaffolding,
near the top, running all the way round. These plat-
forms, being nineteen or twenty feet above the ground,
extended horizontally 'from the central to the inner and
outer walls of palisadoes. The latter were higher, and not
so compact as the central wall. These outside palisadoes,
reaching almost to a man's height above the platform,
were set short spaces apart, and covered near the top
with a solid surfat e of thick bark. This protected the
warriors when they stood high on the outer platform to
fire their guns and aim their arrows at the enemy over
the top of this bark breastwork. Just behind them, on
the inner and adjoining platform, were numerous bark

1 See Appendix, Note E, " Indian Defensive Works."

FALL OF TIONNONTOGEN.

tanks containing an abundant supply of water to l)e used
in extinguishing any tire that might be started at the
base of the palisade. This was the form of attack they
most dreaded. To make the approach more diflicult,
they also dug trenches between the walls of pulisa-
does, and especially on the outer side, heaping up tlie
earth at the base of the fortifications. Then, too, be-
fore the enemy could get at the palisade at all, they had
to break through a low bark fence which stood some
distance outside of the triple wall, built there for the
purpose of breaking the force of an attack. If the foe
succeeded in starting a fire at the base of the main wall,
a flood of water was poured down at once through holes
in the high platform by the warriors who were defend-
ing the castle. In cases of this kind the women assisted
by keeping up the supply of water. Such were the
methods of defence in use at Tionnontogen in 1666.
They had proved effectual against all the efforts of savage
foes. But let us see if they prove equally so against
the skilful manoeuvres of De Tracy's civilized army,
now close at hand ? Tekakwitha's uncle may have had
his doubts as to this ; but nevertheless the bark tanks
were well filled, and all was made ready to give the foe
a defiant reception. The warriors were in fighting gear,
and hourly waiting the attack.

It was just at this time that several Indian captives
of other tribes held by these Mohawks were brought out
to be tortured and burned with solemn rites in the pul »-
lie square of Tionnontogen ; thus they hoped to propiti-
ate their war-god, AireskoL Tekakwitha would not on
any account show herself during this ceremony, as she
never had the cruel spirit which the savage women

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

often showed. Cliaucheti^re tells us that she could
not endure to see harm done to any one, and that she
thought it a sin to go to see a man burned.

This heatiien rite was scarcely over, when the women
and children were suddenly withdrawn from Tiunnouto-
gen Castle ; a council of war, it seems, had changed the
plans of the braves. Those who could not fi':'ht were
hurried off to the higher hills behind tlie fortified
plateau, and concealed in the woods ; the warriors alone
remained in the town. As the advancing army of De
Tracy came within reach of their bullets and arrows,
they kept up a sharp fire from the palisade ; but they
no sooner saw the French soldiers deliberately pause,
plant their cannon, and prepare to attack their wooden
castle in regular form, than the utter hopelessness of the
contest dawned fully upon them. "Without waiting to
receive the opening fire of the French cannon, they
quickly deserted their primitive fortifications, leaving
behind them a few helpless old men who did not wish
to move and the half-roasted victims of the demon's
sacrifice. De Tracy lost no time in taking possession
of this last stronghold of the Oanienga nation, with-
out loss of life he and his army entered Tionnontogen
Castle in triumph.

The child Tekakwitha, concealed in the forest near
at hand, must have heard the solemn swell of the
Te Deum as it rose with one accord, full, rich, and
clear, from the ranks of the conquering army. Never
before had she heard that strange, sweet chorus of
sound. The Mohawk Valley had often echoed with
the war-whoop and the shriek of the tortured captive ;
it had rung at times with the harvest-song, and had

■ -:m

FALL OP TIONNONTOOKN.

caught up tlie wailing chant of the League over many
a dead chiefs body. But the solemn music of the Tc
Deum which now reached her ears wus unlike any of
these, and the tall cross that the soldiers of France
raised over the ashes of Aireskoi's fire in the public
si^uare of Tionnontogen cast unfamiliar shadows on the
long Mohawk cabins clustered silent and empty within
the triple wall. Father Rafl'eix, the chaplain, said Mass
there, thinking perhaps of Isaac Jogues, and praying for
the heathen Indians who were hiding in the forest.
He did not then know how soon the rustic chapel
of St. Mary of the Mohawks would be standing there
with open door to welcome them to prayer. While this
first Mass was being said at Tionnontogen, the Mohawk
warriors, moody and sullen, were gathered near their
families. A low and mournful wail from the women
-called the attention of all to the blazing palisades of
Tionnontogen. The crackling fire kindled by their ene-
mies lit up with a lurid glare the now retiring army of
De Tracy, for he speedily retraced his steps, and was
soon hidden from view behind the mountains at the
Nose. As he moved on down the valley whence he
<:ame, the armor of his twelve hundred men flashed
back again and again the blaze of a ruined Mohawk
town ; all their castles were burned. At the " Fort of
Andaraque," — to use the words of an old document
(probably meaning Gandawague), — De Tracy paused
on the 17th of October to take solemn possession
of the conquered country in the name of the King of
France. In token thereof, he planted another cross,
«nd near it a post, to which he affixed the arms of
Tx)uis XIV. Tekakwitha, with her aunts and her mother's

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

5:1'

U I

friend Tegonhatsiliongo, must have seen these emblems
at the door of the smoking palisade when they went
back to find what was left of their blackened lodges on
the bank of Auries Creek.

De Tracy, the gray-haired conqueror, now returned
to Canada ; and the unhappy Mohawks, in straggling
bands, sought out their desolated homes, — secure in life
and limb, to be sure, but bereft of all provisions for the
winter. No golden ears of corn hung, as usual, from
their lodge-poles. They had no furs, no beans, no nut-
oil. They were forced to live in temporary huts, and
to wait in hunger and cold for the coming of the spring-
time. Thus, in sorrow and destitution, Tekakwitha
passed a dreary winter among the ruins of Gandawague,
doing her best as usual to put things in order. During
this time 'ihe lived on what roots and berries could
be found, and a scant allowance of the game her uncle
caught Spring came at last ; and a busy one it was for
the houseless Mohawks. With the genial warmth that
quickly followed, there came also a strange, new gleam
of light to the young Tekakwitha.

TEKAKWITHA'S CHRISTIAN GUESTS.

CHAPTEll VIII.

TEKAKWITHA'S CHRISTIAN GUESTS. — RAWENNIIO.

THE year 1667 found Mohawks, Oneidas, Onon-
dagas, Cayugas, and Senecas at peace with the
Canadian settlers. This blessed peace crowned with suc-
cess <h3 persevering efforts of Garacontid, and brought
the long-deferred answer to the prayer of Tekakwitlia's
mother. Onnontio was appeased ; Frenchmen and Iro-
quois could now clasp hands, and the lovers of peace on
either side — an ever Increasing party — came boldly for-
ward, asserting their claim to be heard, and holding all
turbulent spirits in check. There was nothing to be lost,
and much to be gained on both sides by peace. The
French could now increase their trade, and the Iroquois
were glad once more to turn their arms against aggres-
sive Indian neighbors. The Mohegans, or Loups, on
the Hudson, uniting with those of New England, were
growing haughty and insolent to the Mohawk people,
making raids on their hunting-grounds, and taking ad-
vantage of their temporary distress to settle old score^i ;
this trouble, however, was still a side issue. It caused
just uneasiness enough to make the Mohawks anxious
for the speedy return of their deputies from Quebec,
with full assurance of a permanent peace with the
French. Ail through the spring of 1667, Tekakwitha's

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

g >

people were clearing new corn-fields on the north side
of the Mohawk, and choosing new sites for their castles.
Tionnontogen, the capital, claiming their first share of
attention, was hastily rebuilt higher up the river and
still on the south side, being now a quarter of a laague
from its old site. The populations of Gandawague and
Andagoron were divided ; some remained at the old
half-ruined castles, and others moved across the river aa
rapidly as they could build cabins for themselves. This
they began, to do " after the bark would peel ; " ^ that is^
as soon as the season was far enough advanced for them
to make use of that all-important material, in the use of
which they were so expert. The task of building a
palisaded Indian castle was slow and tedious, — the work
of many long months, with their primitive methods.
While they were in this transition state, the Mohawk
deputies, having agreed on the terms of pea<3e, returned
from Quebec. They left that city in July, 1667, accom-
panied by three Jesuit Fathers.

The story of the Jesuit Father and his work crowds
the pages of our early history. Wherever the red man
plaj -s an important part, there close at hand is the black-
gown with his crucifix and his works on the Indian lan-
guage, — becoming a linguist that he may make known
to the Indian, whatever his tribe, the " good tidings of
great joy ; " using the artist's brush that he may in some
way represent to his neophytes the Christ ; even taxing
his ingenuity in the invention of games by means of
which to hold the attention of the savages and teach
them the simplest laws of morality ; striving always to
lead them step by step to a better understanding of

* See Appendix, Note A, Letter of June 29, 1 885.

TEKAKWITHA'S CHRISTIAN GUESTS.

the duties of a Christian life. Such were the meu uow
on their way to the Mohawk from Quebec.

Earnest, zealous, with a firm determination to over-
come all the obstacles before them in their si)iritual
combat with the demons of paganism, came the three
Fathers, Fremin, Bruyas, and Pierron, with the Mohawk
deputies. They had been chosen by the French author-
ities from the ever ready ranks of Jesuit volunteers, wbo
never lost an opportunity to gain the ear of the red
man. Already they had acquired some knowledge of
the language; Father Fremin, of the three, understood
it best. Then, too, it was well known by all that the
presence of French blackgowns in the Iroquois country,
sent by the Governor of Canada, would be in itself a
guarantee of peace. They were made the bearers of
presents to insure them a welcome in the Mohawk
lodges. On their journey to the castles they were
delayed for a time by reports that the forest was alive
with Mohegan war-parties ; but when, in course of time,
they did fall in with a band of warriors, it turned out to
be a scouting-party of Mohawks, who, alarmed by the
long absence of their deputies, began to suspect/ another
French invasion. They were therefore well pleased to
see the missionaries, and willingly led them from the
vicinity of Lake George to the northern bank of the
Mohawk. There they crossed the river in canoes, prob-
ably from the place now occupied by the De Graff house.
Above them, on the crest of a hill, stood all that was
left of Gandawague, the Turtle Castle, where Teka-
kwitha and her uncle the chief still dwelt. They had
not yet moved to the new site " at the Rapids," near
Fonda. The three French guests of the nation were

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

conducted up the steep ascent to the town wich great
formality and many ceremonies of welcome, not with
the strokes of iron rods and the bitter taunts with which
some of these same old men and women when in their
prime had received Father Jogues at their former castle
of Ossernenon, a little more than twenty years before.
But why were not Fathers Fremin, Bruyas, and Pierron
at once conducted up the valley to be welcomed by the
Bears, and thence on to the westward to be lodged in
state by the Wolves at Tionnontogen, the capital, as had
invariably been the custom of the Caniengas in receiving
distinguished guests, or even important captives ? The
answer that history gives is simple enough. The Fathers
" happened to arrive at a time when these people are
accustomed to plunge into all kinds of debauchery, and
found no one, therefore, in a fit state to receive them."
A drunken riot of several days' duration was going on
within the newly built palisades of Tionnontogen. The
Mohawks had chosen to celebrate in that way their
returning prosperity.

So the Fathers were detained three days in the lodge of
Tekakwitha's uncle at the Turtle Castle. Chaucheti^re
and Cholenec, and all who have written of Tekakwitha
find in this seemingly simple incident only one of many
mystic links that make up the chain of her Christian
life, — a sure effect of a potent cause, — the all-d'^nquer-
ing love of the Spirit of God reaching toward its spirit-
child, though clothed in the humble fortn of an Indian
girl. Unknown, and therefore as yet unloved by her,
the Great Father and Source of our spirit natures saw
" His own image and likeness " expanding pure and fair
in the untaught soul of Tekakwitha. All-knowing, all-

TEKAKWITHA'S CUUISTIAN GUESTS.

powerful, planning the course of events without effort, He
chose the surest way and tlie aptest time to make Him-
self known, thus securing at once the answer of love that
was destined to lift and shield from all blemish this
wondrous opening "Lily." He sent His messengers
into the Mohawk Valley when Tekakwitha alone of her
nation was ready and. fit to receive them. Hers, then,
was the privilege of lodging and entertaining them.

At that time the Iroquois were thorough pagans, and
practised a species of devil-worship. They believed in
Tharonya wagon, the " Holder of the Heavens," a good
genius of the Kanonsionni, who bestowed on them their
hunting-grounds and fisheries, — a harmless deity, to
whom they were grateful in a vague way for past favors ;
but they do not seem to have worshipped him with any
fonnality. They reserved their sacrifices and solemn
rites for Aireskoi, a demon of war, whom they greatly
feared. Hiawatha, the " Wampum -Seeker," * though
sometimes confused with Tharonyawagon, was undoubt-
edly a real personage. He was one of the founders of
the Iroquois League of Nations, which is called to this
day the " Great Peace." He is said to have lived about
fifty years, as nearly as can be reckoned, before the
earliest white settlers came to America. His aspirations
and his teachings prepared the Iroquois to some extent
for the reception of Christian idea'>, but the original
teachings of Hiawatha seem to have been very soon

* Or " Peace-Maker," as wampum was the emblem and token of
peace. For an interesting account of Hiawatha, or Hayenwatlia, as
founder of the League, and for other rare and vahmble information con-
cerning the people of the Five Nations, see Hale's Iroquois Book of
Hites.

KATERI TKKAKWITHA.

•111

ill;

distorted and strangely mingled with myths. The League
of Naticus which he labored to establish, with the grand
idea of eventually uniting all mc^ in a common bond
of brotherhood and peace, became on the contrary, in
the hands of the Iroquois chiefs who followed him, a
great engine of war, crushing all tribes that refused to
come under its laws. Just enough of its original spirit
remained to cause the Iroquois thoroughly to incorpor-
ate and make one with themselves the captives of all
those peoples whose separate existence they destroyed.
Tharonya wagon, Aireskoi, and Hiawatha were all
familiar words in the ears of the Mohawk girl. But
Rawenuiio, the true God, * was still unknown to her.

Charlevoix, the learned author of the " History of New
France," who wrote an account of Kateri Tekakwitha
about the year 1732, after mentioning the fact that
" as soon as she was able to work she undertook the
entire charge of the household," continues thus : —

"The first knowledge she received of Chribtianity wa&
given her by the Jesuit missionaries who were sent to the
Iroquois nations by M. de Tracy. They passed on their way
through the town where she lived, and lodged in her cabin.
She was charged with their entertainment, of which she
acquitted herself in a mjinner which surprised them. She
had herself been struck at the sight of them, and felt in her
heart strange sentiments. . . . The fervor and recollected-
ness of these Jesuit Fathers at their prayers inspired her

1 See M. Cuoq's Lexique de la Langue Iroquoise. This word
" Rawenniio," also written " Hawenn3riu," came into use when Chris-
tianity was first preached among the Iroquois. It is still used by them
to designate the "Great Spirit," or " Father of all Men." The last
part of the word, " niio " or "nyiu" (Cod), is said to be derived from
the French word " Dieu."

TEKAKWrrUA'8 CHUISTIAN GUESTS.

with the desire to pray with them ; this desire she expressed
to them ; indeed they quickly divined it from her actions,
and instructed her in the great truths of Christianity as
well as their short stay in the town permitted, and quitted
her with a regret fully reciprocated on her part."

There are those, as we have said, who believe that the
prayer of Tekakwitha's dying mother had guided the
steps of these missionaries straight to the lodge of her
child, and left them there three days to be waited on
and cared for by the shy but capable little Mohawk
housekeeper, the niece of the chief at Gandawague.
His people, as we already know, were away on a de-
bauch at Tionnontogen, — a revel too disgraceful for the
admission of guests whom they wished to honor. The
Mohawks must have been hard pushed indeed when
they handed over the envoys of the Canadian Gov-
ernor whom they were anxious just then to conciliate,
to the care of a mere child, even though she were high
in rank; but Tekakwitha's uncle knew she could be
trusted to do her part well. How well she did it Cho-
lenec tells us in the following words : —

" She was charged with the task of lodging the mission-
aries and attending to their wants. The modesty and sweet-
ness with which she acquitted herself of this duty touched
her new guests ; while she on her part was struck with their
affable manners, their regularity in prayer, and the other
exercises into which they divided the day."

Had they remained longer in the village, she would
probably have asked for baptism.

As it was, she stole silently out of the lodge in the
dusk of evening to bring water for the simple Indian

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

repast she was preparing for her guests, and all the
while her thought was alive with God, — the God she
had never known, the God of the pale-face and of the
Mohawk as well (for this much they had told her in
their broken utterance of her own language) ; he was
the God, ' 0, of their Mohegan enemies. Here, indeed,
was a new idea to the Mohawk girl. She had heard
her people mention the God of the French, no doubt,
and had wondered if he were kind like Tharoiiyawagon
or cruel like Aireskoi ; but this God whom the black-
gowns told her of, was not their Lord and " Master of
Life " any more than hers. He was the God of all men,
whether they worshipped him or not, — of pale-face and
redskin, of Mohawk and Mohegan. He loved them all
with a father's love, — alas! Tekakwitha knew what
that meant, if only from observation and from the very
lack of it in her own life. This Eawenniio, this true
God, was everywhere ; he could hear the whispered
prayer of the blackgown there in the lodge, and he
could speak to her inmost heart even if she were quite
alone in the forest. How she was stirred at the thought I
" Will he speak to me now ? " she said. " Does he know
I am thinking of him ? " She stopped at the foot of a
great tree, poising her jug on her shoulder, and listened
with innocent simplicity. " God of the blackgown ! God
of my mother I Rawenniio ! " was the cry of her heart, —
" speak to me, here in the forest, — speak to me, if it is
true what the blackgown says ! " Lifting her hand and
her eyes, she looked up through the branches of the
giant tree, far beyond what her dim eyes saw, far as
her simple thought could reach ; and though Teka-
kwitha heard no audible voice in the forest answering

;:i

RAWENNIIO.

to her new-found cry, there was a dim but rapturous
hope in her heart, cheering with happy omen her bud-
ding faith and her growing love for something more
than the world of Tharonyawagon could give her, —
something more than fruitful corn-fields, sunshine on
the running water of the Mohawks, a strong, true brave
to love her, and the Happy Hunting-Grounds beyond.
Thev could not be much fairer, after all, than were the
hunting-grounds of her nation at Saratoga, where Father
Jogues had cut a cross deep iuto the bark of a tree,
and had almost perished with hunger because he would
not eat the meat that was offered to Aireskoi. Teka-
kwitha was not long in choosing between Aireskoi and
Eawenniio.

While her mind was dwelling on such thoughts
as these, she must have sought out the ravine near
the Turtle Village where Isaac Jogues had buried his
friend Rdnd Goupil. This young martyr was killed, as
we have said, for making the sign of the cross on an
Indian child. She may have knelt to pray on the very
spot where Jogues himself was tomahawked at the door
of the Bear Chiefs deserted lodge. There she could ask
Eawenniio most fervently for strength of will to follow
the gleam of light that beckoned to her. The Mohawks
of Gandawague had not forgotten these places so near
at hand, nor how it had all happened. The Fathers
Fremin, Bruyas, and Pierron, during their stay in the
lodge with Tekakwitha, thought often of Jogues, and
must have mentioned his name in her presence, as they
afterwards did in their journal ; * then, to be sure, Te-

^ See "Early Chapters of Mohawk History," no. xv., by Dr. Hawley,
of the Cayuga County Historical Society, printed in the •* Auburn

?
^

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

91^

<^„

gonhatsihongo would kuow of the murdered blackgown,
so Tekakwitha could not fail to learn his story. She
probably knew it already, but she tliought of it now
as she never had done before. Surely that first of the
blackgowns who came to their village had something
important to tell them. Why else had he laid down
his life by coming among them a second and even a
third time after his cruel captivity ? Why else had he
exerted himself to learn their language ? The voice of
Ondessonk's blood cried out to her from the ground, and
besought her to hear what these others said who came
to her now with his name on their lips, and the name
of a greater than he, — of the One who was nailed to a
cross, whose image they carried. A host of questions
rose to her lips when she saw them again, but she had
neither time nor courage to utter them. Only three
days, and the blackgowns were gone. Tekakwitha was
left alone once more with her aunts and her uncle, who
had received these guests not from love, but policy.

During their short visit an alarming incident had oc-
curred. A band of Mohegans, dashing down upon the
village, had scalped a wretched squaw at the very gates.
*' Fremin was one of the first to hasten to her, eager to
save a soul where life was in so great peril; but she
spurned his offers. Four times she turned away in
scorn ; " but the patient zeal of the missionary won her
at last, and she died a Christian.

There was another squaw in the town who had asked
for baptism, an Iroquois woman of rank. We are not

Advertiser," and also to be issued in book form. These "Early Chap-
ters" consist chiefly of translations from the Jesuit "Relations," with
valuable notes and comments.

UAWENNIIU.

told whether this was Tegoiihatsihongo, or soinu other,
though we know that she did in time become a Citris-
tian. To test this woman's sincerity, Father Fremiu
^ve her the thankless, unpopular task of calling to
prayer, with a little bell, the Huron and Algonquin
■captives at Gaudawague, who were already Christians.
She did not shrink from this ordeal, but still her bap-
tism was deferred till the missionaries should finish
their embassy and return again to the town. In the
mean time she wearied of their prolonged delay, and fol-
lowed them to Tionnoutogen, gaining from them there
the necessary instruction for receiving the sacrament.
The young Tekakwitha, on the contrary, either through
natural timidity or by the express command of hev
uncle (we know not which, most likely both), waited
with sealed lips for eight long years. During all that
time she gave no sign or token, that has ever been re-
corded, of a wish to become a Christian ; and yet the
missionaries thenceforth were at work continuously in
one or another of the Mohawk villages. Let us, then,
follow the hurrying course of events in which the life
of Tekakwitha was involved during these eight years
of dim but dawning light, not forgetting that the seed
which the Fathers had scattered in passing lay hidden
yet treasured deep in the innermost heart of the Mo-
iiawk maiden.

KATERI TKKAKWITHA.

CHAPTEli IX.

V]\' i

CAUr,l!\AWAGA ON THE MOHAWK. — FATHERS FKEMJN

AND PIEKHON.

AFTER Tekakwitha had lodged Fathers Fremiii,
Hruyas, and Tierron for three days at Ganda-
wugue, on the bank of Auries Creek, they went to the
castle of Tionuontogen, which it must be remembered
hud been hastily rebuilt some little distance west of its
former site near the Nose, though still on the south
side of the river. There, when the pagan festival and
debauchery was over, a grand public reception of these
ambassadors took place. The people of all the Mohawk
villages were assembled for the occasion, Tekakwitha
probably among them. In due time, after a most cere-
monious welcome, Fremin rose to address them. To
render his speech to the nation more impressive, he set
up in tlieir midst a great pole forty or fifty feet in
height, from the top of which a wampum belt was sus-
])ended. He then declared, on the part of Onnontio, that
in like manner would hang the first Iroquois who should
come to kill a Frenchman or any one of their allies. At
this all the Mohawks — men, women, and children —
bowed their heads in silent awe, not venturing to look at
such an extraordinary gift, nor to speak, until the most ac-
complished of their orators, having recovered his senses,
rose and went through all imaginable mimicries to show

FATHERS FREMIN AND PIERRON.

his astonishment. As if ignorant of its meaning, he
gesticulated and declaimed in the liveliest manner,
though a man of more than sixty years of ago. Then
discovering its true significance, he seized his throat
" with both hands in a frightful way, grasping it tightly
to represent and at the same time impress upon the
multitude about him the horror of this kind of death.
After he had spoken, and at length, with a surprising
eloquence, exhibiting flashes of wit by no means com-
mon, he flnished," as the leading ambassador-priest tells
us, "by delivering up the captives we demanded, and
giving us the choice of the place where we would build
our chapel, in the erection of which they proposed to
go to work with all despatch. They, moreover, deliv-
ered up to us a Frenchman whom they had held cap-
tive for some time, and promised us the liberty of
twelve Algonquins, partly of the nation of the Nez
Percys, partly of that of the Outaouacs [Ottawas]."

Thus at Tionnontogen the labors of Father Freniin
began. He was left quite alone among the Mohawks for
nearly a year, at the mission of St. Mary's as it was
henceforth called. He struggled earnestly during that
time to maintain peace and establish Christianity. His
companion, Bruyas (whose Mohawk dictionary is ex-
ceedingly valuable to students of the Indian language)^
soon went west to the Oneidas, among whom, little by
little, he learned the Oneida dialect. Pierron, on the
other hand, after a short stay with Fremin, bent his
steps eastward to Schenectady. He visited the English
and Dutch at Albany to renew the friendly intercourse
of former days ; and then this messenger of peace in
the early part of the year 1668, travelled back over tha

- i

WP««R«i

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

great Mohawk war-trail, leading northward. He re-
turned to Quebec to report to Governor de Courselle
the progress of the embassy.

Freniin, left entirely to his own devices in tlie Mo-
hawk Valley, gathered together the captive Christian
Hurons, and then went steadily on, preaching, teaching,
and baptizing. Once when the young warriors were
torturing an Ottawa captive and preparing to burn him,
contrary to the articles of peace, the Father by frantic
efforts succeeded in saving him ; but it was only by
dint of rushing through the streets of the village with
cries, threats, and entreaties. They could not withstand
his zeal. He scattered the assembled crowd. He called
down the vengeance of Rawenniio and Onnoutio upon
their castle of Tionnontogen, if they persisted in thus
breaking the peace. The older men, roused at last by
liis words and actions, put a stop to the outrage. The
unhappy victim was rescued from a fiery death, but he
fell into a lingering fever brought on by the fright and
the sufierings he had endured. In course of time he
died, but it was not till he had been fully instructed
and baptized by the courageous Father, who thus had
the gratification of saving both body and soul.

On the 7th of October, 1668, Pierron returned from
his journey to Quebec, and again passed through the
lower Mohawk villages on his way to the bark chapel
of St. Mary's, which had been erected at Tionnontogen
during his absence. If Tekakwitha saw her former
guest at that time, it was only as one among a group of
Mohawk villagers who watched the missionary as he
passed through the streets of the Turtle Castle. He
was hurrying on to meet and to replace Father Fremin.

FATHERS FREMIN AND PIERRON.

This spirited aud eloquent founder of the mission now
went westward beyond Bruyas at Oneida, in order to
make a missionary opening among the Senecas, who
also desired a blackgown. This left Father Pierron
alone in his turn in charge of the Mohawk mission.
His graphic letters to his superiors in Canada during
the next few years give many a vivid picture of what
was transpiring at that time in the valley.

He was something of an artist. Before he succeeded
in mastering the language, he spent much of his time
in painting. He found that his pictures stimulated the
curiosity of the Mohawks. In their efforts to get at
the meaning of them ana to explain them to one
another, they learned, without realizing it, the very
things he wanted to teach them; while he, by listen-
ing to their explanations, quickly acquired their lan-
guage. As the blackgown's pictures were much talked
about in the Mohawk villages at this time, and must
have influenced the minds of Tekakwitha and her rela-
tives, it will be worth while to give Pierrou's descrip-
tion of one of his own productions. "Among these
representations I have made," he says, "there is one
contrasting a good with a miserable death. What led
me to make this was that I saw the old men and the
old women would stop their ears with their fingers the
moment I began to speak to them of God, and would
say to me, 'I do not hear.' I have therefore repre-
sented on one side of my picture a Christian who dies
a saintly death, with the hands joined as of one holding
the cross and his rosary; then his soul is carried by an
angel to heaven and the blessed spirits appear awaiting
it. On the other side, I have put, lower down, a woman

100

KATERI TEKAKW.TTHA.

broken with age, who is dying, and unwilling to listen
to a missionary Father who points her to paradise ; she
holds both ears closed with her fingers ; but a demon
from hell seizes her arms and hands, and himself puts,
his fingers in the ears of the dying woman. Her soul
is carried by three demons; and en angel who comes
out of a cloud, sword in hand, hurls them into the
bottomless pit This representation," he continues, " ha»
furnished me an occasion to speak of the immortality
of our souls, and of the good and the bad of the other
life; and when they once cateh the import of my
picture, no one presumes to say any more, ' I do not
hear.' "

The " Relation " of the same year ^ tells us that Father
Pierron accompanied this saintly skill with severe labors
making regularly each month a visitation of the seven,
large villages, over a space of seven and a half leagues
in extent, in order that no infant or adult sick person
should die without receiving baptism.

Father Boniface now arrived at Quebec from France,
and was immediately selected to go to the Mohawk
Valley to second Pierron's zeal We learn further, from
the " Relation," that a bitter strife was then in progress :
" The war [between the Iroquois and the nine nations of
the Loups] humbles them by the loss of their people ;
but by preventing their permanent stay in one place,
it also multiplies obstacles to the conversion of the
warriors, who divide up into numerous bands to go singly
against the enemy. The Agniers [Mohawks] and the
Loups [Mohegans] have brought the war even close to

> An English translation of this " Relation " is given in the " Early
Chaptere of Mohawk History," by Dr. Hawley.

»:■

FATHERS FB^JldlN AND PI£RRON.

101

New Orange ; and when taken captive they bum and eat
one another." The Mohegaus and their allies had certain
advantages over the Mohawks. They were more numer-
ous; then, too, '^hey were a roving people, difficult to
attack, whereas the Mohawks lived in villages and had
permanent homes. These last, in order to uefend them-
selves, took care thoroughly to fortify the castles they
were then building on the north side of the Mohawk
River. As they seem to have had seven villages at this
time, which is an unusual number, it is probable that
they either had not entirely abandoned their old sites, or
else had recently added sevoral villages of captives.

It was while affairs '.'.ere still in this unsettled con-
dition that TekakwitLd went to live on the north bank
of the Mohawk Eiver, near the Cayudutta Creek at
Caughnawaga, or Fonda, a few miles west of her earlier
home. The French writers continued for some time after
this to call the new castle of the Turtles on the north
bank by its old name of Gandawague ; ^ to prevent confu-
sion, however, we will henceforth call it Caughnawaga,
meaning "At the Rapids." That name still clings to a part
of the present town of Fonda. The rapids of the Mohawk
still ripple there as of old under the sharp-cut hill where, as
proved by relics and historic references, the once famous
castle stood. The Indians who went forth later from
this Caughnawaga in the Mohawk Valley to Canada,
carried with them the familiar word. Settling down
beside the great rapids of the St. Lawrence River, the
sound of rushing water boomed louder than before in
their ears, and the name Caughnawaga grew into his-
tory there, as wjU as here. But there it is still a

* See Appendix, Note B.

•If

WPVOT

102

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

V.\

"H:

living name, and is passed from mouth to mouth as
the well-known home of half the Canienga race; for
Caughnawaga in Canada holds to-day that part of the
Mohawk nation which in the wranglings of the white
men — that is to say, the old French and Indian
wars — sided with the French. Brantford, also in Canada^
contains the other half of the same nation, — the de-
scendants of Sir William Johnson's Mohawk followers^
who were stanch friends of the English. To us Amer-
icans, falling heir to their lands, these Mohawks have
left no living trace of themselves, though some of their
brothers, the Onondagas and Senecas, still dwell in our
midst. The Mohawks have gone from us, indeed, le iving
us only a memory, all inwrought in a thick array of
Indian .lames. Let us try at least to understand and to
preserve these names, in honor of the brave race that once
peopled our hills and valleys, our forests and streams.

In the Mohawk Valley, side by side with the name of
Fonda, which comes to us from the days of the early
white settlers, there lingers the still older name of
Caughnawaga, which is dusky with the shadows of twe
hundred years, and even more. The mere name in par-
tial use there at the present day has served to throw some
light on the hill and the spring near the Cayudutta, —
enough, at least, to have called to our minds a vision of
Mohawk girls with their water-jugs, and to point in a
misty way to the almost forgotten home of the Lily of
the Mohawks. It is owing, however, to long, careful,
critical research, and not to surmise, that the haze of
many years has been cleared away at last from the actual
site of Caughnawaga Castle. The map of Gen. John S.
Clark (page 38) gives its position relative to other

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FATHERS FREMIN AND PIERRON.

103

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Mohawk villages. Tlie plan here given, which was
drawn by Rev. C. A. Walworth, shows more especially
where this Indian fortress stood in reference to Fonda,
on what are now called the " Sand Flats," west of the
Cayudutta Creek. The spring which supplied the
Mohawks with water is seen, distinctly marked in its
cove, half-way down the hill from the castle, towards
the Cayudutta. With this plan before us it is needless
here to repeat the details of this locality already given in
the chapter entitled " Tekakwitha's Spring." In our open-
ing pages we journeyed all the way up the Mohawk Val-
ley from Albany, with here and there a passing glimpse
at the scenery, till we reached the castle site at Fonda,
which was then fully described. Since that time we
have travelled together through the highways and in the
byways of history over about thirteen years of Teka-
kwitha's life. Here we are again at Caughnawaga ; and
now that we are following up the course of events in
regular order from the birth of Tekakwitha, we find that
she also has but recently arrived here, having just come
to her new home from Gandawague. She can scarcely
be called a child any longer, since she takes upon her-
self so much of the household care, and yet she is quite
young. Her life is a busy one. She has taken an active
part with the women of her family and their neighbors
in building the new bark house which they occupy
within the enclosure of palisades at Caughnawaga. Now,
at last, they are quite comfortable.

This is the way the Mohawks were accustomed to
build their permanent lodges. They first took saplings,
ind planted two rows of them firmly in the ground.
Then they bent the tops of them over across the inter-

9t(

104

KATEBI T£KAKWITUA.

I !

II i>

vening space, and tied them together. The shape of the
house when finished was not unlike the top of an am«
bulance wagon. These arched ribs were supported and
held in place by poles put in horizontally across the
house, near the top. The whole was then neatly
covered with square, overlapping pieces of bark, held
in place by poles that were tied down over them.
The holes in the roof for chimneys and windows were
not forgotten, nor the loose pieces of bark to pull
over them in case of rain. The Jesuits often found
these cabins smoky and dark, — a severe test of thtir
patience when engaged in literary pursuits, or even in
reading their breviaries ; but for the Mohawks, who had
no such tastes, they were good enough.

When the house was finished on which Tekakwitha
worked with her aunts and her neighbors, it made a
secure shelter for a score of families, all lodged under
the same roof and all on one floor. That floor was the
bare ground. When the dwelling was fitted up into
compartments on either side, with spaces down the
centre for fires alternating with spaces for family gather-
ings at meal-time ; when the matrons had assigned to
each and every member of the household certain lodge-
seats ; when mats of rushes had been prepared, and
robes of skins were in their places for bed-clothes ob
bunks along the sides of the house; when plenty ot
dried corn and smoked meat hung from the ridge-poles
of the roof for instant use; when the heavy wooden
mortar and pestle were made and stood ready for pound-
ing the corn ; when nice little dishes of bark and
wooden bowls were at hand, while tucked away in
corners were baskets of wampum beads all ready to

fATUERS FREMIN AND PIERRON.

105

be strung into belts at the proper time, — when all
these things were in order, then at lust, after the
move fi-om Gandawague on Auries Creek, Tekakwitha
felt free to rest and breathe easily. Then she might
glance leisurely at the patch of sunlight i'alling on
the floor of the lodge through the doorway at the far
end, and decide in her own mind how much time she
had before the next meal was to be prepared. Per-
haps she would go out to take a look at the strong new
palisade that her uncle and the warriors had planned so
carefully for defence against the dreaded Mohegans ; or
she may have preferred to sit quietly by the spring for
a while in the beautiful little cove. Being so near the
castle, it was comparatively safe from the lurking
enemy, who might attack them at any time.

Wentworth Greenhalgh, an Englishman, who went
from Albany to Caughnawaga in 1677, thus describes
the castle : " Cahaniaga is double stockadoed round ;
has four forts [ports ?] about four foot wide apiece ;
conteyns about twenty-four houses, and is situated
upon the edge of an hill, about a bow shott from the
river side." He then gives the situation and size of
the other Mohawk towns at that time, and closes his
remarks by stating that their corn grew close by the
river. The Mohawks chose the flats or river-bottoms
for corn-fields because they were fertile, and besides,
they were natural openings, with no trees to be cut
down and cleared away.

Much of Tekakwitha's time at certain seasons of the
year was spent in these corn-fields ; and she must have
witnessed, if not taken part in, some of the exciting
scenes described by Pierron, who was then making his

mnv

106

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

periodical rounds through the Mohavfk villages. He
frequently gives incidents of Mohawk women whc were
waylaid and scalped or captured by desultory bands of
Mohegans and other tribes with whom they were at
war. The constant fear of death that overhung them
gave to the minds of these Mohawk squaws a serious
turn, and made them more willing than they would
otherwise have been to listen to the warning words of
the blackgov/n. More than one of them, haunted
perhaps by the remembrance of his pictures and his
morality games, which were no less ingenious for
gaining their attention, came and asked for baptism.
Pierron succeeded also in rousing the chiefs to a sense
of the degradation into which the constant purchase of
brandy and rum at Albany was sinking them. He
reminded them that when once under its influence
they were in no condition to repel the attacks either
of Satan or the Mohegans. Both he and Fremin had
themselves been sufferers during the drunken riots of
the Indians. While the two Fathers were together at
Tionnontogen, they wrote: —

" It seems sometimes as if the whole village had run mad,
so great is the license they take when they give up to drink-
ing. They have hurled firebrands at our heads ; they have
thrown our papers into the fire ; they have broken open our
chapel ; they have often threatened us with death ; and
during the three or four days that these debaucheries last,
and which recur with frequency, we must suffer a thousand
insults without complaint, without food or sleep. In their
fury they upset everything that comes in their way, and
even butcher one another, not sparing relative, friend, coun-

t,|.

■■,.v

FATHERS FREMIN AND PIERRON.

107

tryman, nor stranger. These things are curried to such
excess that the place seems to us no longer tenable ; but wo
shall leave it only with life. . . . When the storm is over,
we are left to go on with our duties quite peaceably."

This state of things continued for some time, as did
also the raids of their enemies. It was in the midst of
such bristling savage thorns as these that the Lily of the
Mohawks grew up from childhood into womanhood.
In her new home at Caughnawaga, during these stormy
times she lived a sweet, pure life, all uncontaminated.
At last the Mohawk chiefs, won by Pierron's reiterated
arguments, began to realize that they had among them,
in intoxicating drink, "a foreign demon more to be
dreaded than those they worship in their dreams."
They were induced to take measures against this excess
in public council, " and, advised by Father Pierron that
the most effectual means would be themselves to make
their appeal to the Governor-General of Manhattan,
the more prominent among them presented a petition
which they had drawn for the purpose." This is the
answer which the Governor gave to the request of
the Mohawks and the letter of the Father which ac-
companied it : —

Father, — By your last, I am informed of your complaint,
which is seconded by that of the Iroquois chiefs, the Sachems,
the Indians, as appears more opeiily by their petition en-
closed in yours, respecting the large quantity of liquors that
certain ones of Albany have taken the liberty to sell to the
Indians; as a consequence, that great excesses are com-
mitted by them, and the worst is feared unless we prevent
it. In response, know that I have taken, and will continue

mmmmtmimtm

108

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

II I

to take, all possible care, under the Huverost penalties, to
restrain and oppose the furnishing any excess to the Indians.
And I am delighted to sue such virtuous thoughts proceed
from heathens, to the shame of many Christians ; but this
must be attributed to your pious instructions, for, well versed
in strict discipline, you have shown them the way of morti-
fication both by your precepts and practice.

Your very humble and affectionate servant,

Francih Lovelace.
At Font James, 18th of Nov. 1668.

Fremin and Pierrou, during the two years 1668 and
1G69, baptized one hundred and fifty-one Indians, of
which more than half were children or aged persons who
died shortly after baptism. Says the " Relation " : —

"This should be considered a sufficiently abundant har-
vest in a waste land, and we may hope for much from such
beginnings. We owe, under God, the birth of this flourish-
ing church to the death and blood of the Reverend Father
Jogues. He shed it at the very region where the new Chris-
tian church begins to arise ; and it seems as though we are
to see verified in our days, in his personi the beautiful
words of TertuUian : * The blood of martyrs is the seed of
Christians.* "

That Pierron was fired with the spirit of Jogues, who
founded this Mohawk mission in his blood, is proved by
the following words, which he wrote in a moment of
discouragement : —

"I have attacked drunkenness and lewdness, which are
divinities of the country, so madly are these people devoted
to them. I have combated these vices. ... I have em-
ployed gentleness and vigor, threats and entreaties, labors

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FATHERS FREMLN AND PIERRON.

109

and tears, to build up this new church and to convert these
poor savages. There remains nothing more than to shod
my blood for their salvation, that which I long for with all
the desires of my heart. But ciler all, I have not yet ob-
served in them those marked amendments which the Holy
Spirit effects in those of the heathen whom he would put in
the number of the faithful."

wmpvi

110

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER X.

'ill. ■

THE MOHEGANS ATTACK THE NEW CASTLE. — BATTLE OP
KII:AQUARI0NES. — THE FEAST OF THE DEAD.

IN the year 1669, in one of the long bark-houses at
Caughnawaga on a summer morning before the
dawn, Tekakwitha is turning uneasily in her sleep.
Suddenly her aunt springs up beside her and speaks in
a startled voice. In an instant all in the lodge are on
the alert. Sharp, wild cries are heard; bullets pierce
the stout palisade, and come whizzing through the
bark sides of the new house. The warriors, roused from
sleep, seize their nearest weapons, be they guns, war-
clubs, tomahawks, or arrows. A hurried word to the
women, a loud whoop, a few bounding steps, and they
are on tlie platform of the palisade hurling defiance at
an assaulting army of Mohegans. Before them are hun-
dreds of the foe in war-paint and feathers, led by a stout
man of middle age, — the wise and gallant Chickatabutt,
the great sachem of the Massachusetts. His bearing
makes him conspicuous among a score of famous saga-
mores who ai*e leading the assault. In the motley ranks
that follow are Hudson River Indians, mingled with the
red-skin neighbors of the Puritans, grim old warriors of
the Massachusetts tribe. There are also Narragansett
braves and other New England Indians, — all united in
a desperate attempt to crush the Mohawks, and thus

THE MOHEGAN ATTACK.

Ill

"break in through the eastern door of the Long House
of the Five Nations. The assailants seek, now by open
attack and now by strategy, to dislodge the defenders
of Caughnawaga from their lofty scaffolds, and to fire
the palisade. Four Mohawks drop from their places
dead, and two are wounded ; but the Mohegans make
no perceptible headway against the defensive works
of the Castle. The struggle continues with unabated
fury. Among those who fall on the side of the en-
emy are pupils of the English missionary Eliot, who
know something of the Bible which he has translated
for them. Five of these converts to Puritanism are en-
gaged in this expedition, of whom but one escapes with
his life. They too, like the ever increasing neophytes
of Pierron, are called "praying Indians." Their chief
Chickatabutt — or Josiah, as he is often called — was
himself a " praying Indian " once. That was when he
lived with his pious uncle Kuchamakin, one of Eliot's
favorite pupils. " He kept the Sabbath several years,"
says Gookin ; " but after turned apostate, and for several
years last past separated from the praying Indians, and
was but a back friend to religion." Indeed the English,
who had a good opinion of him in his early days, now
thought him "a very vitious person," though all ac-
knowledged he was as brave as brave could be.

The Puritans had tried in vain to dissuade their Indian
neighbors from accompanying this chief on his adven-
turous march to the Mohawk Valley. In spite of every
drawback, however, Chickatabutt, whose name means
" A-house-afire," had succeeded in bringing his army all
the way from ihe vicinity of Boston to the castle of
Caughnawaga. After they were joined by their allies,

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112

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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III

they numbered six or seven hundred men.^ True, they
had spent much of their ammunition on the march, — >
" shooting away their powder in the air, . . . boasting,
vapouring, and prating of their valour," at the Indian
villages where they had stopped for foraging purposes.
It was their consequent lack of ammunition which de-
termined them to carry the Mohawk Castle, if possible,
by assault. But the brave Canieugas, or " People of the
Flint," though taken by surprise in their sleep, were
quick to grapple with the daring Mohegans, and fought
like panthers. They were not to be easily overcome, by
any roving Indian foe, in defence of their women and
their homes. The squaws of Caughnawaga, with the
well-known courage of their race, realized their periloua
situation at the first alarm, and were "arming them-
selves with knives and defensive weapons in case a
breach should be made." The youths of the village
were, many of them, fighting their first important battle
on this occasion. The sight of the Mohawk women and
young girls, arming themselves as best they could to
resist the Mohegan attack, was in itself an irresistible
appeal to their tribesmen to exert themselves to the ut-
most in defending them against the well-known horrors
of captivity, which would undoubtedly come upon them
if the castle fell into the hands of the enemy. Many a
young brave was nerved to desperate feats of valor oa
that morning and during the days that followed. Begin-
ning with the sudden attack at dawn, the struggle con-
tinued for a long time with uncertain issue. News was

^ This is the number given by Gookin, who was an Indian agent
and magistrate of the Massachusetts Colony at the time of this expedi-
tion. Pierron in his account mentions only three hundred.

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THE MOHEGAN ATTACK.

113

carried to Tiounontogeii that the whole country was lost ;
that Caughnawaga was besieged by an army of Mohe-
gans ; that all the youth had already fallen, and perhaps
Gandagaro, the adjacent fort, was in extremity. These
reports, though exaggerated, caused the Mohawk war-
riors of the other castles to gather as fast as possible
at Caughnawaga. Even had they been all there at the
very first, they would still have been fewer in numbers
than the enemy; but before the sun was high, enough
of them had assembled to warrant a sally on the foe.
Father Pierron was now at the castle, and a witness of
the stirring events taking place there. Tekakwitha, too,
was taking her part among the young girls, whose fate
now hung in the balance. The missionary thus describes
what followed : —

"By eight o'clock in the morning our warriors without
confusion promptly arrayed themselves witli all they have of
greatest value, as is their custom in such encounters, and
with no other leader than their owu courage went out in
full force against the enemy. I was with the first to go
to see if, amid the carnage about the palisades of the village,
■viiere so many unbelieving souls would perish, I might not
be able to save some one. On our arrival, we heard only
cries of lamentation over the death of the bravest of the
village. The enemy had retired after two hours of most
obstinate fighting on both sides. There was but a single
warrior of the Loups [Mohegans] left on the ground ; and I
saw that a Barbarian, after cutting off his hands and feet,
had flayed him, and was stripping the flesh from the bones
for a hateful repast."

This was to honor Aireskoi ! Tekakwitha, ever help-
ful and ready to assist others, would probably be where

114

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

liii i

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she was most needed at that time, — with the bereaved
women who were seeking their dead, and with those
who ministered to the wounded. No heart so quick as
hers to turn with loathing from the hideous human sac-
rifice that was being prepared outside the castle walls.
With the good deeds of the blackgown Pierron hourly
before her, and the sound of his voice often in her ears,
— for this missionary could doctor as well as preach,* —
she must have had constantly in her mind the thought
of Rawenniio during this time of peril and anxiety,
and would not fail to call in spirit on the God of the
Chri-tians for assistance against the foe.

The Mohegan army sat down before the castle, besieg-
ing it for some days without effect, though there was
much firing back and forth. The provisions they had
brought with them were about exhausted and their
munition well spent. Some of their people were sick,
and they saw the impossibility of getting the stronghold
by assault. So they broke up the siege, to the great
relief of the imprisoned Mohawks, and retreated twenty
miles in the direction of the Dutch settlements. This
brought them to Kinaquariones,^ now called Towereune,
a steep rocky hill on the north side of the Mohawk
River. It is just above Hoffman's Ferry, nine English
or three Dutch miles west of Schenectady ; there they
temporarily entrenched themselves. The Mohawks, who
did not know of this camp, though secure for the time

1 Pierron had ridiculed the practices of the sorcerers and r. tedicine-
men so effectually that they no longer attempted to use their charms
and spells in his presence.

a See note of J. S. Clark in " Early Chapters of Mohawk History,"
by Dr. Hawley (no. xx., as printed in the " Ar.'oum Advertiser ").

THE IIOHEGAN ATTACK.

115

being in their castle, felt that in any case no time should
be lost in following up the enemy as soon as they could
make the necessary preparation. The women of Caugh-
nawaga, having laid aside their weapons, began at once
to assist the warriors in making ready the supply of
meal which according to custom was to be carried on
the war-path. This was soon done, as they had but to
■add a little maple-sugar or other seasoning to the
pounded corn, which they had already twice charred or
dried for use on just such expeditions. The warriors of
the Mohawk nation were now all assembled to go in
pursuit of the Mohegans. Every man was fully armed
^nd equipped, and their deerskin pockets were well filled
with the crushed corn. They put themselves under the
leadership of the brave warrior Kryn, surnamed the
'•Great Mohawk." His home was at Caughnawaga, and
his valor and good management on this expedition won
for him a new title, that of " Conqueror of the Mohe-
gans." He and his fellow tribesmen now hastily bade
adieu to their families, who, together with the black-
gown Pierron, were to remain at the castle ; then they
embarked in canoes on the Mohawk, and aided by
the force of the current soon disappeared around the
great bend of the river in the direction of old Osserne-
non on the route to the pale-face settlements. Anxious
«yes and thoughts followed them. The bravest of two
warlike races were now likely at any moment to meet
in a decisive conflict, and who dare foretell the result ?
Not Tekakwitha, who waited in silence and concern ;
nor her more voluble companions, whose anxiety took
the form of restlessness. Having all done their share
in defending the castle, they could now only watch and

mmmmmmm

116

KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

'S' '

l|! 1

wait, looking often in the direction of the vanished
braves, and hoping for news of the expedition from
chance stragglers. In the mean-time the women were
free to go back and forth to the spring, to care for the
wounded, and to prepare the bodies of the dead for
burial.

The day after the departure of the warriors there were
rumors of a desperate battle in progress about twonty
miles away ; and on the following day at three o'clock
in the afternoon, came certain news of victory. It was
a great triumph for the Mohawks or Caniengas, bra-
vest of the bold Kanonsionni. Chickatabutt, the sachem
of the Massachusetts, was slain. The noblest of the Mo-
hegan warriors fell at his side. Those who escaped fled
away to their distant kindred humbled and ashamed,
with lamentations and mourning for the loss of most
of their chief men. The Mohawks were greatly elated.
The gloom that hung over Caughnawaga was changed
to glad excitement. All prepared to welcome home the
heroes of the battle of Kinaquariones. Father Pierron
started at once and alone in the direction of the battle-
field to visit the wounded. He wished also to manifest
to the warriors his interest in their victory. He arrived
on the spot before nightfall. The warriors were glad ta
see him, and eager to relate all the particulars of the
fight. This proved to be the last great battle between
the Mohawks and the Mohegans. Its deeds of valor
were told and retold for many a day at the Turtle Village
and in Tekakwitha's hearing with all the usual boast-
fuln 3S of the Indian. Pierron wrote a full account of
all that happened from the time the Mohawk war-party
set out from the castle in their canoes till they returned

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THE MOHEQAN ATTACK.

117

to their homes in triumph. It is here given in his own
words : —

" Night overtaking thorn [the Mohawks] in their pur-
suit, they sent in advance certain of their number in quest
of the enemy, and quietly to discover the place where he
was encamped. As the scouts came within sight of the
spot, desiring a better view of the situation, they drew still
nearer. But notwithstanding their groat caution, one of
the Loups on guard close by, hearing a noise, gave the
customary challenge, Koue, koue (this is the 'Who comes
there)' of the savages); as there was no response and he
saw nothing, he did not deem it necessary to give the
alarm.

From the report given by the spies on their return of the
condition of the enemy, it was determined not to attack him
in his lodging-place, where he appeared too well entrenched,
but to prepare an ambush on the route it was believed he
would take. In the execution of this plan, the Iroquois
made a wide detour to lay their ambuscade in a cragged
and most advantageous pass which commanded the only
route in the direction of the Hollanders. In the morning
the Loups decamped; and as they marched in single file,
after the Indian custom, twelve of them fell unexpectedly
into the ambuscade. A shower of balls of which they were
all at once made aware, immediately put to flight those
that the casualty had spar*"!. FrightfiU cries at once rang
through the forest, and the Loups rallied at the same place
•where they had encamped. The Iroquois pursued them
with vigor. On overtaking them, they made a fierce as-
tsault. The Loups at first made a stout resistance ; but the
cowardice of some among them forcing the main body to
recede before the fury of the Iroquois, ten of the whole
band made a stand within their works to defend themselves

I ,

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118

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

unto death. This aew entrenchment greatly harassed our
Agniea [MohawksJ but as they are an indefatigable and
brave people, they did not lose courage nor the hope of
driving out the enemy; and to succeed in this with the
least peril, they made use of an old tree, which they found
there, and which they carried in front of them for protec-
tion. This they were able to do, instead of going up one
by one to the place where the enemy was fortified. Their
skill however did not avail them ; for notwithstanding this^
device, the Loups did not omit to open a heavy fire from
all sides, killing and wounding a number of our people ; and
the fight without doubt would have been still more disas-
trous if night had not terminated it. Our Indians captured
at the outset four women of the twenty-four who accom-
panied the expedition, and six men subsequently in the heat
of the combat.

The next morning as they were ready to renew the attack,,
they found that the enemy had made their escape during^
the night, and that they were left masters of the battle-field.
The victors, following the custom of the savages, toma-
hawked and scalped the Loups left on the place, and then
took care to bur}' those of their own people who had been
slain in the fight."

The Mohawks declared that nearly a hundred war-
riors on the side of the enemy had perished, either by
the sword in the fray or by water in flight. " This was.
probably an exaggeration," continues Pierron, " as only
nineteen scalps were secured." ^ According to the story
of the Mohegan captives, they lost fifty men on their
side, thirteen falling on the field of battle ; while they
killed altogether nearly forty of the Mohawks.

* Gookin says of the Mohegans : "About fifty of their chief men»
they confess, were slain in this fight ; but I suppose more."

THE MOHEQAN ATTACK.

119

Pierron thus describes the triumphal march back to
Caughnawaga from the field of action : —

" We left twsj days after the combat, in company with a
large number, both those who had taken part in the fight
and those who had come to look on. The victors bore
the scalps well painted, at the end of long batons made to
support their trophies. The captives, divided into several
bands, marched with singing ; and as I perceived that one
of the women had a sick infant which she carried at the
breast, I thought I would do well to baptize it, seeing it
was about to die."

The blackgown accordingly took occasion to approach
the mother as they were crossing a stream, caught up a
handful of water, and saying the short baptismal words,
poured it on the little head, which soon drooped in
death. He had already instructed some of the captives,
and in the course of a few days all of them asked for
baptism. On first reaching the castle, the Mohegan
prisoners of war were received and tortured in the UBual
manner. Pierron could do nothing for them while the
heat of passion and enmity toward the victims lasted ;
but watching his chance he saw that they were left
alone for a time on the torture scaffold, before being
killed, surrounded still by the ghastly scalps of their
companions. He at once led them down from the hate-
ful platform, and took them into a cabin near by, to
prepare them, if possible, for a Christian death. While
he was speaking to them earnestly of their salvation,
some of the Iroquois came and stood near, saying to
one another, " Do you see how he loves our enemies ? "
Some among them added, " He ought to leave them to

120

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

Willi

burn in hell, — people who have done us so much evil."
rierron, overhuariti},' this, tunied about, and seeing that
a crowd of the villagers had assembled, caught up the
words of the discontented Mohawks, and taking them
for his text, explained so well and so forcibly the teach-
ing of Christ on the Mount, that in a little while the
Indians who had gathered about him were all of one
mind, and declared that he did well to teach the cap-
tives. They no longer interfered with his self-imposed
task, but gave him ample time to instruct them. Before
the doomed Mohegans were finally put to death, they all
received baptism ; among them, we are told, was " one
of the bravest and most celebrated warriors of that na-
tion, who in the combat had slain with his own hand
several Iroquois." Submitting to Pierron's influence,
the fierce Mohawks did not grudge even to this warrior
whatever happiness he might be able to secure, through
the blackgown's ministrations, in another world. Little
by little these Mohawks were veering round in the di-
rection of Christianity, under the firm and steady but
gentle guidance of their devoted missionary. Whether
or not they were willing to listen, his stirring voice
still rang in their ears ; and whether or not they realized
the fact, it was certainly true that he was treated every
day with more and more of respect and trust.

The next important event that took place at Caughna-
waga was the Feast of the Dead. Here again, though
Tekakwitha was certainly present and must have known
all that was going on, her biographers have given no
account of it. Pierron, however, has taken care to write
out a full description of this great feast; it occurred
only once in ten years. He, of course, in his important

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THE FEAST OF THE DEAD.

121

positiou as the representative among them both of
Christianity and of his French countrymen, ileals only
with what concerned the whole Mohawk nation. He
had little or no time to note the changes that were
taking place in the young Tekakwitha; no word had
passed between the two since his return from Quebec.
If she had aught to say to him, she was forbidden to
say it. Likely enough he did not even recognize her
wlien he saw her, though he may have remembered the
appearance of a little maiden who some years before
had lodged him at Gandawague.

We who have followed the course of her life more
closely, can easily single out Tekakwitha from the
crowd that has gathered to witness the strange cere-
monies that are taking place in the woods not far from
the castle. The bones of all the friends and relations
of these people who have died within the last ten years
have been carefully and reverently cleaned, scraped, and
collected together to be deposited in a common pit pre-
pared for their reception. The best and richest of beaver-
skins and other furs are freely brought forward, that the
pit may be lined with their beautiful warm surfaces.
It is at night, amid the wailing chants of the women
and the flaming of torches, that the relics of the dead,
with many a last caressing touch, are deposited in the
great pit; they are encased in separate robes with
precious gifts. There are many tragic demonstrations
of grief. A weird, pathetic scene it is ; and it makes a
estrange and lasting impression on the minds of the
young people who witness it for the first time. After
the pit has been filled and covered over, the women are
to be seen trudging back and forth to the village with

122

KATERI TEKAKWITIIA.

-•MNl

•nil

hampers of food, to be deposited on the gigantic grave
for the use of their departed friends. It is only after
the Feast of the Dead is over that the soul is supposed
to take its final journey to the spirit-land. Previous to
this celebration they believe that it hovers near the
body, which they expose on a baric scaffold, or else put
in a sitting posture in a temporary grave covered lightly
with bark or twigs.

During the progress of this feast quite a dispute
arises among the assembled chiefs concerning the
treatment received by Pierron. He has been cor-
dially invited to be present, and now stands among the
dignitaries of the Mohawk nation in company with
Tekakwitha's uncle and other chiefs. The blackgown
lets no part of the ceremony escape his notice. Distin-
guished guests from Oneida and Onondaga have placed
themselves in separate groups, according to custom*
An Onondaga chief has risen to make a speech. Near
enougli to see and hear what is going on are the womer*
of Caughnawaga, who so lately took part in the defence
of the castle. Tekakwitha's blanket partly conceals her
face, but she is quite as richly dressed as the other
young squaws. What she does not see or hear directly
she can quickly gather from the talk of those about her.
When the Onondaga has finished speaking, the Mohawk
cliiefs recount in turn the leading superstitions and
fables of the nation ; they are well known already to
most of the people, who only half listen to what is be-
ing said. Presently there is a stir among the Mohawk
dignitaries, which centres the attention of all within
earshot on the group. Pierron, it seems, has ceased to
be a silent listener to what passes. He begins in hi»

TIIK FEA8T OF THE DEAD.

1'J:J

turn to tell fables, giving them hero and there an ex-
tremely ridiculuus turn. In the midst of it he is
abruptly ordered by one of the chiefs to bo silent.
All are now eager to get at the truth of what has
occurred. Some loudly upbraid the chief for his dis-
courtesy ; others bitterly accuse Pierron of an untiniely
interference witii their customs. They say that he has
been openly ridiculing their beliefs; his mouth must
be stopped at once. But PieiTon, knowing full well his
influence with the people, and judiciously appealing to
tiieir love of fair play, boldly addresses the offending
chief in these words, now distinctly heard ^>y the lis-
tening throng : " Dost thou know, indeed, that thou
hast given me the keenest affront I could have re-
ceived ? But who art thou to order me to be silent,
and am I here to obey thee ? If I had treated thee
after this sort at Quebec, wouldst thou not have had
cause to complain; but in what have I spoken evil,
that my mouth should be closed ? And if I speak tlie
tnith, why art thou not willing to hear ? " The chief
replied that it was their custom on these occasions to
keep up their fables. Pierron stoutly rejoined : " It is
your custom to get intoxicated ; honestly, is it a good
custom, and ought I to approve it ? It is your custom
to violate every law of reason, and to live as the beasts ;
think you it is not my duty to reprove you for all these
vices? And yet you impose silence upon me when I
would speak to you. Is this reasonable ? " As Pierron
and the chief could come to no agreement, the black-
gown withdrew from among the Mohawks when the sing-
ing began, and took his place in the group of Onondaga
guests, who received him with marked respect.

> 1

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The ceremony lasted five hours. When it was over
Pierron returned at once to Caughnawaga village, leav-
ing the Mohawks still in the forest on the spot where
the solemnity was conducted. A rumor was circulated
there to the effect that the blackgown meant to return
to Quebec. It was not long before the brusque Mohawk
chief who had given offence came to him in the village
to offer an apology for his conduct, saying : " My
brother, up to this hour we have actea toward each
other as the two best friends in the world." Then
placing his hand on his heart, he added: "Tell me
then, frankly, in what humor is thy soul? They say
that thou goest to Quebec, and will no more come to
live with us. If this be so, I implore thee not to get
us into difficulty with Onnontio ; for this would bring
trouble upon thyself, if so many, both old and young,
who greatly love and honor thee, should for this reason
receive ill-treatment. Tell me, then, what is in thy
heart, and what are thy sentiments?"

Pierron, in a grave and serious manner seldom as-
sumed by him, replied: "It has been told thee that
I have an irritated mind and a heart full of grief. This
is true, and thou kuowest well that thou art the cause ;
thou hast treated me with the greatest indignity. Thou
hast even presumed to impose silence when I would
speak of the faith, which is the thing of all else, as thou
art not ignorant, I have most at heart. Did it not con-
fuse thee to see me so well received by the Onondagas,
whom I did not know, driven out by those who pro-
fessed to be our friends ? "

After listening patiently till he was through, the
chief said with earnestness : " My brother, I see what

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THE FEAST OF THE DEAD.

125

is at the bottom of this quarrel ; it is that we are not
yet Christians. But if thou wilt leave this important
affair to me, I promise thee success. This is what thou
must do: First convoke a council, and then having
given three belts to our three families, at each present
speak out thy mind. After this, leave me to act, and I
trust all will go well."

All did go well, to the great delight of Father Pier-
ron. The old chief, who was high in authority, went to
work so energetically, sending his nephews out in every
direction, that he soon assembled all the grandees of the
Mohawk nation in the cabin of Pierron. The black-
gown did indeed speak out his mind with such decided
effect that his words were received with loud cries of
applause. He threw down a fathom of wampum, say-
ing : " Agnid, my brother, if it is true that thou art will-
ing to hear me, there is my voice, which warns thee and
entreats thee wholly to renounce Agreskoue, and never
speak to him, but to adore the true God and follow His
law."

He threw down a second fathom of wampum, to oblige
the medicine men no more to invoke denu^is for the cure
of diseases, but to use natural remedies. Again and
again the speaker was applauded ; even the medicine men
who were present in the assembly showed their good
will on this occasion. The last present to destroy the
superstition of the dances was received with no less
acclamation than the other two. It was Pierron's
moment of triumph, the reward of his unceasing
efforts in their behalf! The whole Mohawk nation
seemed ready to do his will. The council which met
some days after, included the delegation from Onondaga.

'H-.
i*»'..

126

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

These distinguished strangers had just returned from the
visit they made to the Dutch after taking part in the
Feast of the Dead.

Garaconti^, the chief of the Onondagas, himself soon
to become a Christian, now raised his powerful voice in
support of Pierron, saying to the people, " Take his word,
for he has sacrificed all for you." The blackgown
triumphed at last. The sorcerers of the village cast
their turtle-shell rattles into the fire, the women no
longer called in the medicine men to cure their diseases,
no dances were allowed which were not approved by
Pierron, and the oyanders (or nobles) brought tlieir youth
in crowds to the chapel to be instructed. "What more
could the blackgown wish ? Alas ! he knew the Indians too
well ; and he adds in the moment of his success, " Their
natural inconstancy still divides my heart between fear
and joy."

So far as Tekakwitha was concerned, no fear as yet
disturbed the calm content of her spirit. The Lily of
the Mohawks, quite unnoticed in the retirement of her
lodge, was taking note of all these things, and was wax-
ing fairer eveiy day in the sunny light of Eawenniio's
presence in the land. The true God, the Great Spirit,
they tell her, is now to be worshipped by all the people.
She hears them cry out through the village, " Hail to
Eawenniiol Down with sorcery ! Down with Aireskoi !"
These words are like sweet music in the ears of Teka-
kwitha. She is in a dream of happiness, a day-dream
of the spirit. Her busy fingers drop their work, uncon-
scious of this unaccustomed idleness ; her thoughts are
all of God. Tekakwitha's first and last and only love is
Eawenniio. She hears his voice, she feels his presence

DEMON WORSHIP DISCARDED.

127

in the purer air she breathes, for Aireskoi has fallen
from lus throne. In the quiet and seclusion of the bug-
house, all alone, she hears tlie noises of the crowd out-
side, like distant murmurs ; but the name of " the true
God " echoes in her ears, and she is happy. Why not
leave her so ? Let us not disturb her. Why should
she be roused to suffer ? Must the Lily droop her head
and thirst and die, like the rest of Eawenniio's flowers ?
Alas! it must be so. But let us not forget that this
Lily of the Mohawks has a soul, though it is still like
a little bird that breathes and just begins to move, but
has not tried its strength. In sorrow the wings of
the soul are developed. When once they have grown
strong, it will be easy for Tekakwitha to fly away
through the door of death to Rawenniio.

■'P**!

,./

128

EATEBI TEKAKWITUA.

•St

CHAPTER XT.

WILL TEKAKWITHA MARRY?

" T T is time for Tekakwitha to marry," said her aunts.
1 Her uncle was of the same opinion. " She will
make a desirable wife," they thought, "a docile and
a useful one. It will be easy to liud a brave young
hunter for her, who will be glad to live in the lodge of
the leading chief at Caughnawaga. Then there will
always be plenty of game brought to the lodge for food,
and a good supply of furs to exchange at Albany for
the goods of the cloth-workers." Thus the adopted
parents of the young girl put their wise old heads to-
gether, and soon Tekakwitha's peace of mind was sadly
disturbed by their new-laid plans. Until now she had
been happy in her own way. Her uncommon skill and
natural ingenuity developed and found vent in her daily
tasks, though sometimes, to be sure, they must have
become wearisome and monotonous. It was she who
pounded the Indian corn and made the soup or sagamite,
day after day. This sagamite took the place of bread with
the Indians. She also distributed the food when prepared
to the members of the family, and saw that each per-
son's dish was properly filled at the right time. Like all
generous natures, she was accustomed to take more than
her share of the burden, and likely enough, less than
her share of the sagamite. Chauchetifere speaks more

WILL TEKAKWITHA MAKRY ?

129

than once of her esprit, her ready wit, and also of her
skill. He says : —

" Judging from the work which I have seen her do, it will
be easy for me to affirm that she worked delicately in por-
cupine and in elk-skin. She made the belts (or burden-
straps) with which the Indian women and girls carry wood ;
she made those which the old men use in conducting the
affairs of the nation, which are composed of beads of
porcelaine (wampum) ; and one of the occupations of the
squaws is also to sew, since they have learned how to do it,
either from those who have been slaves among them or from
the wives of Christians from Europe. She knew well how to
make certain ribbons which the savages make with the skins
of eels or strong bark. She prepared these skins or this bark, .
and she reddened them, applying the color with sturgeon
paste, which is used very skilfully among the Iroquois. She
knew more than other Iroquois girls, for she could make net>3
very well indeed and qnaisses (buckets which the savages use
to draw water) ; thus her dexterity furnished her with plenty
of occupation. Sometimes she was making a pestle or
pounder for crushing Indian com, sometimes she was forming
a mat out of bark, and again she was preparing poles on
which to hang the ears of com."

Although she was the youngest in her uncle's family,
and was delicate from the time her mother died, she was
always the first one at work and the last to take a holi-
day. It was quite a trial to her, then, when she found
— the first symptom of trouble to come — that she
would no longer be allowed to spend her time as best
pleased herself. Her aunts now insisted that she
should wear her prettiest moccasins and all her orna-
ments, and that she should go with them to dances and

130

KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

• >

■f**
»«».

■"•fc^

feasts, for which she had a distaste and some features of
which were loathsome to her. She was so accustomed,
from an inborn sense of duty, to obey those who stood
to her in the place of father and mother, that she went
as far toward fulhlling their wishes in regard to her
costume and her attendance at popular amusements as
her extreme timidity and acute sense of modesty would
allow. These last-mentioned qualities were among her
most marked characteristics. Her aunts, whose natures
were of a very different fibre from her own, could have
had little or no thought how this compliance on her
part out of respect for them distressed her. Although
it could scarcely have cast the faintest shadow of a
mist across the whiteness of her soul, she was known
long afterwards to regret and to grieve bitterly for this
indulgence in little vanities.

Her aunts could not and did not try to understand
her. They thought she was queer. It seemed strange
to them that Tekakwitha took so little pleasure in the
festive customs of the Mohawks. They decided that it
was due to her Algonquin origin. In other words, she
was like her mother. So much the worse for her.
It would have pleased them better to have had her
resemble her father's family. But after all, the Algon-
quins were a gentle, yielding race, and they thought
they would soon bend her to their will. When they
stated plainly the object they had in view in thus bring-
ing her forward, — which was that she should marry, —
Tekakwitha's whole nature was roused to resistance at
the mere mention of such a thing, and every power of her
soul was brought into action to thwart their plan. Though
long accustomed to be docile and obey, she showed at this

WILL T£KAKWnUA MAKKYi

131

time a sudden development of will, with inherent force
to mould its own fate, and a strength of ciiaracter that
had not before asserted itself. This must have proved
to her aunts that after all there was something of the
Mohawk in her nature. Sure of her own natural
and inalienable right to decide for herself in this impor-
tant question, she was unconquerable. This is clearly
shown in the struggle of will against will, in which she
was now enlisted and in which the odds were decidedly
against her. But though bur whole nature was roused
.at the well-meant, though in this case unwelcome and
premature proposition of her aunts, Tekakwitha was too
wise and too self-poised to break at once into open
rebellion. She did not announce her secret determi-
nation to go through fire aud water, if necessary, rather
than submit to the plan of her relatives. Why she did
not wish to marry was perhaps at that time as much a
mystery to herself as to others ; but the fact remained.
She could not and would not think of it for a moment.
"When, therefore, they proposed to establish her in
life," says Cholenec, " she excused herself under different
pretexts, alleging, above all, he'* extreme youth and the
little inclination she had to enter into marriage. The
relatives seemed to approve of these reasons;" but
the matter was not allowed to rest for any length of
time. Charlevoix tells us that she made an energetic
resistance to all offers. For the moment it was not
insisted upon; but soon they returned to the charge,
and to spare themselves the trouble of listening to her
remonsti-ances, engaged her without her knowledge to a
young man. As his alliance appeared desirable to the
family of the chief, the proposition was made, according

132

KATERI TEKAKWITIIA.

■i.

\ •

to custom, both to him and to the members of his fam-
ily ; while Tekakwitha alone, the very one to whom it
was of the utmost consequence, was kept in entire
ignorance of the proceeding. This was easily done, ow-
ing to her habitual seclusion and the peculiar custom
of the country.

" WiieiiGver marriage is in agitation," to use once more
the words of Cholenec, " the business is to be settled by
the parents, and the parties moat interested are not
even permitted to meet. It is sufficient that they are
talking of the marriage of a young Indian with a young^
female to induce them with care to shun seeing and
speaking with each other. When the parents on both
sides have agreed, the young man comes by night to-
the wigwam of his future spouse and seats himself near
her ; which is the same as declaring that he takes her
for his wife and she takes him for her husband." The
bride then presents the young man with sagamite or corn-
cakes and sometimes with wood, in token of what is to
be her duty in the lodge. He, on his part, sends presents
of beaver-skins to the family of the bride. Thus mar-
riages were made among the Iroquois Indians.

Tekakwitha's relations, not knowing the force of the
young girl's will, decided among themselves that the
shortest and easiest way to overcome her unaccountable
opposition would be to take her by surprise. They did
not even allow her to choose the pereon to whom she
was to be united. They desired to entrap her unaware
into the simple and silent ceremony of an Iroquoia
marriage. Thus her fate would be sealed and she
forced to submit. Would she be able to thwart thia
wicked plan ? And what effect would it be likely to

WILL TEKAKWITHA MARHY '

133

liave on her future conduct ? Her aunts acted coldly
and harshly in this momentous matter, quite Uisret^ard*
ing her rights and her feelings. Tliey felt too conKdent
of success to look beyond the present momenl, or else
they presumed very far indeed on her well-known
sweet temper and kindly disposition.

Chanchetifere, who received his information chiefly
from Tegonhatsihongo, says of her character and repu-
tation at this time : —

" She was neither vicious, nor a gad-about, nor a great
chatterer, nor idle, nor proud, which is a cummon vice
among the young savages. She was not attached to visions
nor to dreams, neither had she ever cared much to assist at
dances or games ; and she had shown on several occasions
that she was prudent; but she was naturally timid, not
daring to show herself when there was need that she
should."

Tekakwitha sat one evening on a low seat by the
fire, — her own lodge-seat, which had been assigned to
her by the chief matron in her uncle's household. The
light of the blazing fagots before her played on her
l)eaded moccasins and showed off to advantage her
richly embroidered skirt. In her sitting posture it
hung far over and half concealed her pretty leggings.
Strings of wampum beads in curious devices were about
her neck, and the end of a long rich scarf or girdle
•which she wore lay on the ground beside her. Her
work for the day was done, and she had donned these
things in obedience to her aunt's desire. Why, she did
not know, and little cared. They often had company ;
then why not to-night ? One of her aunts had given

134

KATERI TEKAKWITllA.

* I

the finishing touch to her costume, and dressed her hair
with her own hands. It was not by any means tlie.
first time she had done so. The guests, whoever they
might prove to be, seemed to have changed their minds
and gone elsewhere, for slie vrus now left quite to her-
self. She was just weary enough to enjoy fully the
rest and quiet, and was thinking perhaps of a piattern
which she intended to work into a wampum belt for
her uncle to be used in making a treaty, — likely
enough it would be for the treaty of peace between the
Mohawks and Mohegans which was brought about after
the battle of Kinaquariones, by the people of Albany.
Or she may have had in mind, as she sat there musing
by the fireside, one of the blackgown's pictures which
she had lately seen. If she had noticed at all the rich gift
of furs that had been brought to the lodge and carefully
put away, she never suspected that it was meant for
a wedding present from the family of a young man for
whom her aunts had expressed great esteem. But now,,
while her thoughts are far from any such idea, the
young man who desires her for his wife, and who ha»
been kept by the laws of Indian decorum from ap-
proaching her for some time past or addressing her
himself on the subject, enters the wigwam in holiday
attire. He is accompanied by some of his relatives,,
whilst those of Tekakwitha step forward to receive
them. The eye of the young Indian kindles with
pleasure at sight of his bride so gayly bedecked with
all the insignia of her rank. Her apparent unconcern
at what is passing he easily attributes either to maiden
coyness or Indian stoicism. Besides, all know that she ia
extremely shy. So, with ready assurance of a welcome.

fc'

WILL TEKAKWITHA MAKKY f

185

he walks quickly toward her, and seats himself in si-
lence by her side. Tekakwitha, utterly taken by sur-
j>rise, is for a moment bewildered, disconcerted. Her
aunts now bid her present the young man with some
sagamite.^ In a moment she realizes what they arc
doing, — that in spite of herself she is taking part in her
own wedding. The hot blood rushes to her face. Slie
blushes, but gives no other sign of what is in her mind.
What can she do ? For an instant she is in an agony
of suspense. Then, with quick determination, she rises
abruptly, and all aHame with indignation, passes, quick
as thought, out of the long-house. Could her relatives
have fancied she had risen to do their bidding ? Her
aunts knew better. Unflinchingly she had met their
scowling looks, and felt the keen, fierce eye of her uncle
upon her as she moved toward the door. Had her path
been over red-hot coals, it would have made no differ-
ence then to Tekakwitha. Her only and overmastering
impulse was to escape at all hazards, — no matter how
nor where. Once out of the stifling air of the cabin,
she hurried on and on, taking an accustomed path, out
of mere force of habit, till it brought her to the familiar
corn-fields. There, breathless and trembling, she hid
herself away, with a prayer to Rawenniio to save her
from the young hunter whom she did not want, and
also from the angry eyes of her relatives, which like
burning irons pierced her heart. Soon they came to
seek her, and urged her with threats and with entreaty
to go back to the cabin. They had made excuses for
her absence: and if she would but return with them

^ For marriage ceremonies see Lafitau, — " Mceurs des Sauvages,"
vol. i. p. 566 ; " De la Potherie," vol. iii. p. 14.

!J0
m'

i;)6

KATEUl TEKAKWITHA.

•i

now, all would yet be well. Tekukwitha, who was by this
tiiuc calm aud collected, replied ([uietly but finnly that
she would not enter the lodge at all while the young
man was there. Finding it impossible to move her,
tlioy returned and explained the affair as best they
could to the relatives of the now indignant young hunter.
He had been no lesis surprised at her strange conduct
than slie had been at his unexpected errand to the
lodge. There was no course left for him but to with-
draw. She then returned to the lodge, and having
borne the brunt of angry words with which she was
received, retired wearily to rest in the angry silence
which followed.

It was many and many a long day to Tekakwitha
before the storm which she thus raised about her own
head had spent its fury in a series of domestic persecu-
tions, till at last it was lulled to rest by the calm en-
durance of her firm but gentle spirit. Several times
after this her relatives tried to force her into marriage.
On one occasion she adroitly hid behind a case of In-
dian corn. " In everything else," says Chauchetifere, " she
was good, industrious, peaceable, and agreeable. When
she chose to give the word for a laugh, none ever had
aught to complain of, and they liked her company.
She never resented the raillery which was constantly
aimed at her on account of her desire to remain un-
married. Her good-nature exempted her at this time
from several difficulties into which she would have
fallen if she had not been possessed of natural patience,
and if she had not liked better to suffer everything
herself rather than to make othera suffer." Cholenec
further says that the firmness of Tekakwitha rendered

WILL TEKAKWITIIA MAURY?

l:]i

her relatives outrageous, for they felt as though they
had received an insult

" Artifice not having proved succossful, they hud rccuurso
to violence. They now treated her an a slave, ubligiiig hur
to do everything which wus most painful and repulsive, uud
malignantly interpreting all her actions, even when most in*
ocent. They reproached her without ceasing for tho wnnt
of attachment to her relations, her uncouth manners, and
her stupidity, for it was thus that they termed the dishke
she felt to marriage. They attributed it to a secret hatred
of tlie Iroquois nation, because she was herself of the Algon<
quin race. In short, they omitted no means of shaking her
constancy. The young girl sutl'ered all this ill treatment
with unwearied patience, and without ever losing anything
of her equanimity of mind or her natural sweetness ; she
rendered them all the services they required with an atten-
tion and docility beyond her years and strength. By de-
grees her relatives were softened, restored to her their kind
feelings, and did not further molest her in regard to the
course she had adopted."

A custom of the Indians in which Tekakwitha must
have taken part about this time, with the other Mohawk
girls of her age, was the Corn-Feast.* On this supposi-
tion a brief description is here given of what was ever
one of the merriest of their celebrations. The redmen,
with the true poetic spirit of Nature's children, distin-
guished the various times of the year as the sturgeon
month or moon, the beaver-month, the bear-month, and
■80 on, according to the kind of hunting or fishing then
in progress ; while the different seasons were known as

* For an account of the Corn-Feast and its attendant merry-making,
«ee Schoolcraft's " Red Race."

■••v.

138

KATEIII TEKAKWITHA.

the time when strawberries or chestnuts blossom, or as
the time of corn-planting and when it is ripe.

It was when the corn was ripe that the Corn-Feast
began. The plentiful crop of Indian maize was gath-
ered together in one place, and the Mohawk girls as-
sembled with laug 1 and song to celebrate the harvest-
The festival took p^ace in a field in the open air. The
warriors and old men, not deigning to take part in this
woman's frolic, sat at one side, tiiough not far away, and
lazily smoked their pipes. They only betrayed now and
then, and by the merest twinkle of an eye, that they
took any notice of what was going on. The aged squaws-
hung on the outskirts of the group of girls, urging them
on with jests and .shrill screams of laughter. The young
squaws were busily employed husking the ears of corn,,
and throwing them together into heaps, after which they
braided them into bunches of twenty * to be hung up
and dried. This is preparatory to shelling, pounding,,
and making the corn into cakes of fine flour for future
use. But the part of the whole process which pleases^
the young squaws best is the husking. They sing to-
gether snatches of song, and toss the ears of corn gayly~
from one to another. All the while they keep a keen
eye on each separate ear as the soft husk is torn from
it, and the silky tassels fall loosely away from the thick
set rows of juicy kernels. But what has happened to*
Tekakwitha there in the midst of them ? How they

* See Lewis H. Morgan on the Indian Collection in the State Cahi-
net of Notnral History, etc. His K«jK)rt for 1850 gives many details-
concerning the domestic customs and industries of the Iroquois. He-
rrantions three varieties of com, — white, red, and white flint, — and
tells how they pivpared it for use.

WILL TEKAKWITHA MARRY?

13»

shout with laughter ! Why is she blushing so ? In her
hand she holds a bright red ear of corn instead of a
white one, and a saucy girl calls out the name of a
young hunter, — most likely of the one from whom Teka-
kwitha so recently hid away. A red ear of corn is
always the sign of a brave admirer. That is why it is
watched for so eagerly. " Here he is," they say to the
bashful girl ; " see, he has come to woo you again ! " She,
who is easiest teased of them all on a subject like this,
feels like running away once more to escape their jests^
or throwing the ear of corn at the saucy girl. But she
is brave though shy, and a maker of fun herself; so she
does not move, but keeps her eyes weU open and awaits
her chance. As good fortune would have it, she soon
spies her mischievous companion unsheathing a crooked
ear of corn, tapering to a point and quite bent over, like a
queer little man. " Wagemin ! wagemin ! " she calls out
to the unlucky girl, " Wagemin ! Paimosaid ! " Although
they have often plagued Tekakwitha in the lodge with
being Algonquin rather than Mohawk, she does not hesi-
tate on this occasion to recall the song of her mother's
race, " Wagemin I wagemin ! Paimosaid 1 " — which are
the words sung in the North and West when a crooked
ear of corn is found. Enough of Algonquin tradition,
learned from their captives, lingered among the Mo-
hawks for them to understand these words, which mean,.
" The little old corn-thief, — walker at night ! "

The laugh is now on the saucy girl who called at-
tention to Tekakwitha. Then catching at the sugges-
tion conveyed by the word " Wagemin ! " they break forth
gayly into the cereal chorus of the Algonquin Corn-Song,
Playfully and with many gestures words like those which.

■1. .
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140

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

follow are recited by oue of the girls, alternating again
and again with the chorus.

Schoolcraft's version of the merry Indian Corn-Song
is as follows : —

m , .

t -

\ '

Cereal Chorus. Wtigemin ! wagemin !
Thief in the blade,
Blight of the corn-field,
Paimosaid !

•Recitative. See you not traces while pulling the leaf,
Plainly depicting the taker and thief ]
See you not signs by the ring and the spot,
How the man crouched as he crept in the lot ?
Is it not plain, by this mark on the stalk,
That he was heavily bent in his walk ?
Old man, be nimble ! The old should be good,
But thou art a cowardly thief of the wood.

Chorus.

Wagemin t wagemin I etc.

Where, little taker of things not your own, —
Where is your rattle, your drum, and your bone I
Surely a walker so nimble of speed, —
Surely he must be a juggler indeed.
See how he stoops as he breaks off the ear !
Nushka! he seems for a moment to fear.
Walker, be nimble, — oh, walker, be brief !
Hooh ! it is plain the old man is the thief.

Chorus. Wagemin! wagemin! etc.

Wabuma I corn-taker, why do you lag ?
None but the stars see you, — fill up your
Why do you linger to gaze as you pull ?
Tell me, my little man, is it most full ?
A — tia ! see, a red spot on the leaf,
Surely a warrior can't be a thief !

1 ,1^

again

Song

WILL TEKAKWITHA MARRY?

Ah, little night-thief, be deer your pursuit,
And leave liere no print of your dastardly foot.

Chorus. Wrtgeminl igeniin!
Thief in the blade,
Bliyht of the corn-field,
Paimosaid !

141

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KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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f "

'A\ ■

CHAPTER XII.

THE NEW COLONY OF CHRISTIAN INDIANS ON THE ST.
LAWRENCE. — THE "GREAT MOHAWK" GOES TO CANADA.

TEKAKWITHA was quite old enough to have de-
cided opinions of her own on whatever con-
cerned her individual life. She had also proved in her
recent struggle cliat she possessed sufficient strength of
will to act upon her convictions. Some of these con-
victions she had never yet mentioned to any one, but she
had for some time fully made up her mind to take a
<\ecided step. She was only waiting a favorable oppor-
tunity to declare her determination to become a Chris-
tian. She felt that this would not be an easy thing to
do ; for besides her strong propensity to shrink as much
as possible from all observation, she saw that her un-
cle was becoming every day more bitter in his opposi-
tion to the teachings of the blaekgowns.

The Feast of the Dead in 1669 was closely followed
by a public renunciation, in the Mohawk country, of
Aireskoi, or demon-worship. This was accompanied by
the burning of charms, turtle-shell rattles, and other
badges used by the medicine-men. Similar ceremonies
took place about the same time, among the Onondagas
and in other parts «:r the Long House of the Five Na-
tions. " Paganism had fallen. Aireskoi was disowned,
and his name is not even known in our days among the

THE NEW COLONY OF CHRISTIAN INDIANS. 143

Iroquois. The next step of the missionaries was to
dniplant Christian truth and Christian feeling in their
hearts."* This waa another and more difficult ta.^k.
Though the Iroquois Indians of the Five Nations have
not since worshipped any other than the Great Spirit
or true God, kno>vn in the Mohawk language as lia-
wenniio; and though the sacrifices to Aireskoi cea.sed
in the Mohawk Valley after the great Feast of the Dead,
in 1669, — practically the life of the Mohawks was still
pagan in almost every other respect. Father PieiTon,
,at Tionnontogen, or Saint Mary's, and his assistant Father
Boniface, who took charge of a small bark chapel called
St. Peter's, which the Indians themselves built at Caugh-
nawaga Castle, both continued their missionary labors
^ith unabated zeal, but for some time they had only
partial success. In 1670 eighty-four baptisms were re-
-corded. That same year, in June, the great Onondaga
chief, Garaconti^, was solemnly baptized at Quebec. It
was hoped that other chiefs of the Iroquois would soon
follow his example.

Father Bruyas, who on first coming among the People
of the Long House had been lodged three days in the
cahin of Tekakwitha's uncle, came back from the Oneida
-country in 1671. He was made superior of the Mo-
hawk mission in place of Pierron. This missionary, the
painter of pictures and the inventor of games, received
orders to return to Canada to take charge of a new vil-
lage of Christian Indians which was then being formed
on the south bank of the St. Lawrence. As the latter
part of Tekakwitha's life was closely connected with the
growth and development of this new Christian colony

1 Shea's Hijtory of the Catholic Missions, chap. xiv. p. 267.

ft. J

144

KATERI TEKAKVVITHA.

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of Indians in Canada, and as we shall have occasion
frequently to allude to it, some further account of it
will not be out of place here. The site first chosen was-
at La Prairie de la Madeleine just across a broad swell
of the river from Montreal on a tract of land belonging
to the Jesuits and hitherto untenanted. The Canadians
called this Indian settlement St. Francois Xavier des
Pres; and a little later, when that same mission was
moved up close to the great Lachine Rapids in the
St. Lawrence Biver, it was knovv n as St. Franc^ois Xavier
du Sault, which last is in reality nothing more thun the
Indian name of Caughnawaga put into French and still
meaning "At the Rapids." This Christian settlement
was started by the temporary sojourn at La Prairie of
several Qneidas and Mohawks, who had been on a visit to
Quebec and Montreal. They were attracted to the spot
by Father Raffeix, who built a little chapel there. It
grew by accessions from among the Five Nations, and
wus encouraged by the French government, in the hope
of thus gaining useful allies. Indians who came first
from curiosity or for temporary shelter and hospitality
afterwards settled there, with their families and friends.
The Jesuit Fathers on their part were much pleased
witVi the growth of this village, and took occasion to
make of it a distinct settlement of Christian Indians.
It soon became a general rendezvous for their converts
from among the different nations and tribes of Indians,
many of whom by residing there were quite withdrawn
from the contagious pagan influences which surrounded
them in their own country. All who went to live at
St. Francois Xavier du Sault were obliged to renounce,
with solemn promises, these three things, — first, the

THE NEW COLONY OF CHRISTIAN INDIANS. 145

idolatry of dreams ; second, the changing of wives, a
practice in vogue at Iroquois feasts ; and third, drunk-
enness. Any one among them known to have relapsed
into any of these practices was expelled at once from
the settlement by the ruling chiefs. These were chosen
by the Indians themselves from among the more fervent
Christians. They were generally men who had ranked
high in their own country, and who were attracted to the
Praying Castle, as it was called, either from motives
purely religious or on account of some bereavement or
disappointment experienced in their old homes. Several
of these Christian chiefs were famous characters in the
history of the time. Two of them, Kryn and Hot Ashes,
are closely connected with the life of Tekakwitha.

Kryn, the " great Mohawk," has already been men-
tioned in connection with the battle of Kinaquariones.
His Christian name was Joseph, and his Indian name
Togouiroui. He was also called the conqueror of the
Mohegans. He dwelt with his wife at Caughnawaga on
the Mohawk, and they had " an only daughter whose
bright disposition made all in the town love her." After
some difficulty with his wife on account of this child,
he deserted her and went off for a long journey. The
mother, it seems, had been converted by Father Boniface,
and had declared herself a Christian just six months
before she was thus deserted. Soon after the departure
of her husband she was severely tried by the death of
her daughter. This little girl had been her only con-
solation and hope after she was forsaken by Kryn. Her
friends now blamed her for adopting strange customo,
saying it was that which had made her husband leave
her and which had caused the death of her child. In

146

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

f ^'t

spite of all this, Kryn's wife became more devoted than
ever to her new faith. She was seen going to the little
bark chapel of St. Peter's every night and morning, and
often received the sacraments from the hands of Father
Boniface. First as assistant to Pierron, and now under
Bruyau, he still carried on the mission at Caughnawaga.
In course of time he became very successful in winning
the Mohawks of that place to Christianity. Thirty
adults were baptized within a short time. After the
morning and evening prayers at the chapel, a choir of
children sang hymns in the Iroquois language ; and every
Sunday the primitive Christian love-feast, or ceremony
of blessed bread, took place in the cabin of a pious Mo-
hawk woman.

At Christmas time the little bark chapel at Caughna-
waga was aglow with lights and bedecked with ever-
greens. All day long the people of the Turtle village,
much changed in mind since the torture and murder of
Isaac Jogues, stole silently in and out of St. Peter's
rustic shrine. The cross, considered uncanny and strange
in the days of Goupil, had at last become a familiar sign
among the Turtles in the Mohawk Valley. The crowd
that gathered at the chapel door on Christmas day looked
up at it again and again as they stood out in the snow
and the cold December blast, wsiting patiently for an
opportunity to enter. There in the chapel Father Boni-
face had placed a fair little statue of the infant Jesus*
lying in his wretched manger on the straw. This Christ*
mas crib was a strange and woEderful sight to the simple
Indians. Those who had become Christians told and
retold the Bethlehem story in all its details to the curi-
ous people who gathered about the image of the little

rii'

THE "GREAT MOHAWK" GOES TO CANADA. 147

Christ child to gaze and wonder. Tekakwitha saw and
heard all that was going on at the chapel, but said
nothing; her aunts were there also, and her adopted
sister. Tegonhatsiliongo, whose Christian name was
Anastasia, would of course be present on such an occa-
sion, and also the family of Kryn. The wife of the
" great Mohawk," having chosen her part and received
baptism, now maintained her ground with courage.
Deserted and childless, she held firmly to her new-
found faith, notwithstanding the abuse she received
from friends and neighbors. "Soon after this storm,"
says good Father Boniface, " God rewarded her fidelity ;
for in place of the little girl whom he had taken from
her, He gave her back her husband a Christian."

Kryn, in his wanderings, had by chance strayed into
the new village at La Prairie ; there he met Father Fre-
min, who with Pierron and Bruyas had formerly been
Tekakwitha's guests. Kryn listened to all that Fremin
had to say to him, having known and respected him
■during his brief stay in the Mohawk country, when the
mission was first begun after De Tracy's expedition.
The " great Mohawk " resolved to become a Christian ;
furthermore, he decided that the best way for him to
remain a Christian, and to become a good one, would be
to join the new Indian settlement in the land of the
French.^ He was a natural leader of men, bold and

1 Kryn became strongly attached to his Canadian friends. He sided
-with them in the war which broke out some years later between the
French and the English colonies. The massacre at Lachine in 1689
roused the old warrior who had conquered the Mohegans (in 1669) to
aid in avenging his white allies. On Schenectady, in 1690, fell the
l)loody act of retribution. Kryn was there. Later that same year, on
« war-party near Salmon River, he was killed.

1"H

1S»

148

KATERI TEKAEWITUA.

uncompromising; he had a lurge following among his
own people on the Mohawk. His next move, there-
fore, after becoming a Christian, was to return to his
old home to find his forsaken wife, and to announce
publicly the views he had embraced during his absence.
The people gathered with interest and amazement to
hear what their old leader had to say. None dared
oppose him when he proclaimed his determination to
leave everything that could draw him back to his old
manner of life, and offered to lead all who would follow
him to La Prairie, on the bank of the St. Lawrence.
He gave his friends but brief time to consider his words
and to make hurried preparations for a journey ; then, at
break of day, the wild gathering-cry of the " great Mo-
hawk " resounded once more, as of old, through the streets
of Caughnawaga Castle. All knew it well, for time and
time again it had called them out to battle. With a
strange thrill and start of alarm they heard it once
more ; but only those in the village who were baptized,
both men and women, or who meant soon to become
Christians, rallied about him now ; nor even all of these,
for in that case Tekakwitha would have been of the
number. A band of thirty or forty gathered at his call,
and with a sad, hurried farewell to their friends, their
homes, and the valley, they turned and followed in the
footsteps of Kryn, who thus led them away into exile.
Shea well calls these Indians "a noble band of pilgrims
for religion's sake."

Tekakwitha's adopted sister probably went either with
this baud or with those who accompanied Father Boni-
fefce to Canada a little later ; for soon after this event
we learn that she was living at St. Francois Xavier

THE "GREAT MOHAWK" GOES TO CANADA. 149

du Sault with her husband ; that they were both Chris-
tians, and tliat Anastasia Tegonhatsiliongo also dwelt
there and in the same cabin with thcin. The health
of Father Boniface was completely broken down by
the hardships he had undergone among the Mohawks ;
so he too left Caughnawaga. He went to Canada in
June, 1673, taking many of his neophytes with him as
far as the Sault ; he died at Quebec the next year, sur-
rounded by his old comrades and friends.

The people of Albany and Schenectady, at the time
of these migrations, had too much to do at home to give
more than a sidelong glance at what was occurring at
the neighboring Indian castle ; otherwise the Dutch and
English settlers of the province would probably have
shown some inclination to resent on the part of the
French their efforts to attract the Mohawks to the
vicinity of Montreal, as it was likely to interfere with
their influence among the redmen, and above all with
their highly prized rights in the fur-trade. Some time
before this, the Albanians had succeeded in bringing
about a treaty of peace between the Mohegans and the
Mohawks. Thereupon these last had begun to indulge
very freely in the purchase of liquor at Fort Orange ;
they even carried kegs of it with them to their fishing-
villages. This filled the pockets of the Dutch settlers,
but it also brought on a severe form of illness among
the Mohawks, — a quick and fatal fever, — which
gave much occupation to the blackgowns, especially
as the services of the medicine men were at this time
often rejected; thus the influence of the missionaries
was still further increased. Next, there was a dis-
turbance in the government. The Dutch, taking the

%]
'^

^
'w

160

KAT£RI TEKAKWITHA.

English by surprise, in 1673, regained possession of the
province ; that very year a large l)and of the Mohawka
left for Canada. To make matters worse for the inter-
ests of the Albanians, a vessel with supplies for the
Indian trade, which they were for along while expecting
from Holland, did not arrive; this caused them to put
a higher price on the goods they were accustomed to sell
to the Mohawks, many of whom on that account turned
to Canada for their purchases.

In 1674, when Tekakwitha was in her eighteenth
year, and when Boniface, after having resigned his
cliarge at Caughnawaga, was slowly dying at Quebec,
the English came once more into power at Albany, and
governed the city thenceforth. During these various
changes Tekakwitha's uncle kept up his connection
with his Dutch neighbors, invariably trading at Albany.
He was angered almost beyond endurance at the depar-
ture of Kryn and of Boniface with so many of his
townspeople. He joined with those who bitterly ac-
cused Bruy&9, their only remaining blackgown, of a
plan to break up the nation. Bruyas protested that
he had had nothing at all to do with the affair, and
threw the responsibility of the migration mainly upon
their own chief the " great Mohawk," whose example so
many had followed. He took occasion at the same time
to remind those who remained of their vices, which he
said were driving away the noblest of their tribesmen.
He succeeded in pacifying them for a time ; but soon
Assendas^, an aged and important chief at the capital
of the Mohawk country, delighted the heart of the mis-
sionary, and at the same time rearoused the hostility of
the unbelieving Indians, by becoming a Christian. In

TU£ ''GREAT MOUAWK" GOES TO CANADA. 151

1675 Assendas^ died at Tionnontogen, to the great grief
of 1 ather Bruyas. About the same time Father James
de liiniberville arrived to take charge of St. Peter's
chapel and the mission of Boniface; it included both
the Turtle Castle of Caughnawaga on the Cayudutta and
the adjacent Castle of tiie Bears called Andagorou. This
castle was no longer on the south side of the river, but
since De Tracy's expedition had been rebuilt on the
north bank opposite to its old site. It was to Father
de Lamberville that the niece of the Mohawk chief
spoke out the wo^ds that had long lain nearest to her
heart.

it)

\i.'tf •'i.iBB.'J ' ""■ l!l"F««"»'^^^w

162

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER XIII.

>■•■

' -■•^

TEKAKWITHA MEETS DE LAMBERVILLE. — IMPOSING
CEREMONY IN THE BAKK CHAPEL.

TEKAKWITHA was eighteen years old, and was
still classed among the pagan or infidel Indians,
as distinguished from the Christians. She had injured
her foot severely ; she could not now leave the cabin,
and sat idle one bright sunny day while the other
women were hard at work in the corn-fields down by
the river. She was unaWo to walk as far as the spring
in the cove just below the castle, and bring up the d^^ily
supply of water for the lodge ; nor could she gather fag-
ots enough to prepare the evening meal, though she
knew fc! at all would return at dusk hungry and weary
from their work. A few women, with some old people
burdened with ailments of various kinds, were also in
the village. Two or three of these had strayed into the
chiefs cabin, and were sitting with Tekakwitha when
Father de Lamberville, who had been only a short time
in the Mohawk country, passed slowly along through
the rows of long, low bark-covered houses forming the
Turtle Village. Caughnawaga was well-nigh deserted by
its people that day, and seemed fast asleep, so still were
its streets. The missionary was taking advantage of
this occasion to visit the old and the sick who chanced
to be in their cabins, that he might instruct them at his

1 !:>:

TEKAKWITHA MEETS DE LAMBERVILLE.

153

leisure. He had no thought of entering the lodge of
Tekakwitha. He knew that the chief who hved there
disliked the Frenchmen who came down from Montreal ;
and besides, he supposed the house would be empty as
usual at such times. Its inhabitants were known to be
busy and thrifty people ; they were doubtless at work
in the fields. He passed close to the doorway of the
cabin with eyes downcast, intent on his own quiet
thoughts. He wore the long black cassock of his order,
and carried a crucifix in his girdle like those worn by
the three who had lodged with the chief when he lived
at Gandawague on Auries Creek. The shadow of De
Laraberville falling across the open doorway caused
Tekakwitha to look up, and she saw him moving calmly
on outside in the sunlight. Darkness brooded over the
Mohawk girl where she sat, far back in the depths of
the dreary cabin. Her heart was weary with waiting.
It may have been that her mother's spirit hovered about
just then, and renewed its prayer ; or, whatever may
have caused it, the blackgown's train of thought was
disturbed. He raised his eyes ; he stood a moment at
the doorway, and " il fut pouss^ a y entrer," says the old
manuscript, — a sudden irresistible impulse caused hint
to enter. Lo I at the blackgown's approach the petals
of this Lily of Caughnawaga opened wider than ever be-
fore. Those who were present on that eventful day saw
for the first time to the innermost depths of Teka-
kwitha's soul, far down to its golden centre, enfolded so
long in shadowy whiteness that no one suspected its
hidden growth of beauty. Chauchetifere says : • —

'* There he found Tekakwitha. Never was an encounter
more fortunate on the side of the girl, who wished to speak

•'*>%

154

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

f ~

*«

*«!(

to the Father, and who dared not go to seek him ; on the
side of tiie Father, who found a treasure where he expected
to find no one."

Charlevoix tells us that Tekakwitha —

"could not dissemble the joy which this visit caused her^
and hastened to open her heart to the Father in the presence
even of two or three women who were keeping her company,
and to testify to him her earnest desire of embracing Chris-
tianity. She added that she would have great obstacles to
overcome in order to succeed in her intention, but that
nothing should deter her. The ardor with which she spoke,
the courage she evinced, and a certain air, at once modest
yet resolute, which appeared on her face, proved to the mis-
sionary that his new proselyte would be a Christian of no
common order ; therefore he instructed her in many things
of which he did not speak to all whom he was preparing for
baptism. God doubtless establishes between hearts, the pos-
session of which he has specially reserved to himself, a sort
of spiritual sympathy which forms, even in this life, the
sacred bond which is to unite them eternally in glory.
Father de Lamberville, whom I well knew," continues
Charlevoix, '* was one of the holiest missionaries of Canada,
or New France, as it was then called, where he died at Sault
St. Louis, as it were in the arms of Charity, worn out with
toils, sufferings, and penance. He has often told me that
from the first interview he had with Tegahkouita, he thought
he perceived that Cod had great designs upon her soul;
however, he would not hasten her baptism, but took all
those precautions which experience had taught to be so
necessary, in order to be certain of the savages before
administering to them the sacrament of regeneration."

As soon as Tekakwitha had recovered from the wound
in lier foot, which had occasioned her encounter with the

TEKAKWITHA MEETS DE LAMBEKVILLE. 15S

blackgown, she began to attend the morning and evening
prayers at the cLapel, in accordance with Fatlier de
Lamberville's advice. As often and as regularly as the
sun rose and set, she was now to be seen on her way to
St. Peter's. Chauchetifere says : —

" At first they did not give her any trouble ; they let her
go and come to say her prayers like the others ; and some
have believed that if this cabin was not opposed to prayer
when Catherine was in it, it might have come from the good
custom which the mother of Catherine, that good Algon-
quin of whom we have spoken, retained there up to the time
of her death, and these infidels were accustomed to see
praying."

So far as Tekakwitha was concerned, the winter which
followed these events passed quietly away in preparation
for her baptism. She performed her usual duties in the
cabin, and her aunts did not molest her on the subject
of religion. According to one account, they had become
Christians themselves, though this is contradicted else-
where. The young girl was present at the instructions
given to catechumens, and learned all the prayers with
great facility and a marvellous avidity, in the hope that .
the Father would hasten her baptism.

" The missionaries before the baptism of adults took care to
inform themselves, secretly, of their manners and conduct.
Father de Lamberville questioned all who knew Tegahkouita,
and was greatly surprised to find that none, even among
those who ill-treated her, could say anything to her discredit.
This was the more flattering to her, since the savages are
much addicted to slander, and naturally inclined to give a
malicious turn to the most innocent actions."

^^ ^^^^ MJHP

156

KATERI TKKAKWITHA.

The missionary found no one who did not give a high
encomium to the young catechumen. He hesitated no
longer to grant what she so ardently asked. Easter
Sunday, 167G, was appointed for the day of her bap-
tism. The Cliristians of Caughnawaga Castle were
pleased to lea.n that at last the blackgown had resolved
to baptize Tekakwitha. Nearly a year had passed since
she first asked tu be made a Christian. All knew her
worth. When the glad news of Father de Lamberville's
decision was made known to Tekakwitha, her counte-
nance became radiant with joy. Her aunts give their
consent to the step their niece was about to taice. We
are not told what her uncle said or did at tlie time.
Perhaps he was intent on other important affairs just
then, or he would probably have put some obstacle in
her way. He certainly dreaded, above all things, the
possibility of seeing his niece enticed away to Canada
in the footsteps of her adopted sister. Perhaps he felt
quite sure of keeping Tekakwitha with him, as she showed
no desire to join a band of Kryn's followers who set out
from the Mohawk Valley shortly before the appointed
Easter day arrived. Like those who had gone with the
" great Mohawk " on a former occasion, these pilgrims
were bound for the Praying Castle on the St. Lawrence
Eiver. In the band were many friends and neighbors of
Tekakwitha, so that in part at least her heart must have
gone with them to Canada. The Praying Castle of St.
Eranqois Xavier was no longer at La Prairie, as when
Kryn first visited it, but had been moved this very year
a few miles up the river close to the great Lachine Eapid
or Sault St. Louis, and was henceforth called Caughna-
waga. The older village of the same name in the Mohawk

a high
ated no
Piaster
ler bap-
e were
resolved
ed since
lew her
lerville's
counte-
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e. We
le time,
iirs just
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ngs, the
Canada
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! showed
• set out
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pilgrims
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IS when
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8 Eapid
lughna-
'ohawk

IMPOSING CEREMONY IN THE BAUK CHAPEL. 157

Valley was astir with expectation wlien Easter Sunday ar-
rived, in the year 1676.^ The young catechumen whom
the blackgown De Lamberville esteemed so highly, the
one of whom no word had been said in disparagement,
every act of whose life was as clear and fair as the day,
was eagerly awaiting the hour of her baptism.

The Indian girls on that Easter morning, ready, as
always, for a pageant or ceremonia] of any kind, crowded
about the door of the rustic chapel, inside and out.
Some of them carried their little brothers or sisters tied
to their backs on cradle-boards. Some were gorgeous
with bright-colored blankets and beads. Proudly they
tossed their heads, these Mohawk girls, sure at least of
their share of admiration from the young braves, notwith-
standing that the old chiefs niece was for the moment
attracting more attention in the town than usual. What
did her wonderful reputation for virtue amount to, after
all? Much hard work, some of them thought, and a
scp.nt allowance of fun or excitement. But for once all
eyes were centred on the quiet maiden, as she issued
from her uncle's lodge, and with two companions, also
ready for baptism, neared the door of the chapel. It
was easy to see that most of the people of Caughnawaga
respected and honored her on account of her virtue.
There was a time when the Iroquois had vaunted the
chastity of their women, and on that account held their
heads higher than any other race of Indians. On this
glorious Easter day the Mohawks seemed to realize, at
least in a general way, that the maiden Tekakwitha,

1 Chaucheti^re mentions Easter Sunday, 1675, as the date of Eateri
Tekakwitha's baptism. Cholenec and others give the date as above,
1676.

'*■>

158

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

•^

,58

whom they knew to be as strong in will as their own
flint rock and as pure at heart as their crystal spring,
had caught up the beautiful crown that was last falling
from them. They felt that she at least, while she lived,
could be trusted to hold it securely above the mire into
which they were sinking faster and faster.

On the day of Tekakwitha's baptism, the light which
the blackgown brought with him to the Mohawk country
beamed with unquenchable brightness from her quiet but
joyful face, and glimmered in scattered reHectious on
the laces of the crowd through which she passed. There
men and women, warriors, hunters, jugglers, boys and
girls of every age, — in a word, all who were in the vil-
lage had gathered into groups to watch what was taking
place at the chapel of St. Peter. The blackgown took
care to render the baptism of an adult, and especially of
such a noteworthy one as the niece of the chief, as
impressive as possible ; it was conducted with all due
solemnity.

Kever before had the Christians of Caughnawaga been
more generous with their gifts. They had offered their
richest furs ^ to adorn the chapel in honor both of Easter
day and of Tekakwitha's baptism. The walls were hung
with beaver and elk skins. There were bear-skin rugs
and buffalo hides, embroidered in many colors, both
under foot and on every side. Belts of wampum
festooned the rafters. Blossoming branches of shrubs
and clusters of frail little wild-flowers that grew in the
ravines near by, decorated the altar. The entrance door

^ Tliis description of the chapel at the time of Tekakwitha's l>aptism
is taken principally from a manuscript of Rev. Felix Martin, entitled
*' Une Vierge Iroquoise."

eir own

spring,
b falling
le lived,
lire into

it which

country

uiet but

ions on

There

oys and

the vil-

s taking

wn took

cially of

chief, as

all due

iga been
'ed their
if Easter
sre hung
kin rugs
rs, both
rampum
' shrubs
V in the
ice door

's Ijnptism
I, entitled

IMPOSING CEREMONY L\ THE BARK CHAPEU 169

■was embowered in green. The approach to the chapel was
through an avenue of budding trees, which had been
planted there by the missionaries, to give an air of
seclusion and dignity to the sacred portal. In them the
birds were building their nests, and kept up a continual
fluttering, chirping, and trilling. The blackgown's well-
trained choir of Indian boys and girls, already within
the chapel, were watchi.^'' for Tekakwitha to enter.
AVhen the three catechun. ns appeared at the door,
father de Lamberville, in surplice and violet stole,
advanced to meet them. Sturdy Mohawk boys who had
learned to serve at the altar, attended him. The ceremony
began at the chapel door. Katherine was the Christian
name to be given to Tekakwitha. Clear and distinct
were the words of the priest, as he asked the following
. questions : " Katherine, what dost thou ask of the Church
of God ? " Then came the short sweet answer, " Faith."
" What doth faith lead thee to ? " " Life everlasting,"
was the response. The blackgown, still using the words
of the time-honored ceremonial, continued : " If then
thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as
thyself." This exhortation sank deep into the soul of
Tekakwitha. Fervent and recollected in spirit, she
strove to catch the meaning of each word and sign.
Father de Lamberville went on with the sacred rite.
Breathing on her thrice, as she stood with head bowed
•down, he exorcised the Evil One, saying : " Go out of
her, thou unclean spirit ! give place to the Holy Spirit,
the Paraclete ! ' She raised her head at these words, and
he signed her forehead and breast with the cross. Then

•J,

I .^aWWIIHiMUrlMM

160

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

he blessed the salt, the symbol of wisdom, and laid it
on her tongue. Again he bade Satan begone. They
now entered the little church. They stood clo.se by the
font. He touched her ear with spittle, saying the
mystic word of Christ : Ephpheta, that is, " Be opened ! "
Then she renounced the devil with all his works and
pomps, and was anointed with the oil of the catechu-
mens. She made her profession of faith in the words
of the Apostles' Creed. After that the priest changed
his violet stole for a white one, and poured the water
of baptism on her head, saying at the same time the
brief, essential words of the sacrament : " Katherine, I
baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

The people watched each of these ceremonies with
rapt interest. When it was all over, Katherine Teka-
kwitha turned from the font with a white cloth on her
head, which the priest placed there in token of inno-
cence, bidding her carry it unsullied before the judg-
ment-seat, of God ; and she bore in her hand a lighted
taper, the symbol of faith. She seemed quite uncon-
scious of earth, and bright with angelic joy. The
Mohawks could almost believe they were looking at a
blessed spirit rather than at one of themselves. The
choir of Indian cliildren, silently waiting their turn, now
filled the chapel with joyous melody, and made it resound
with the sweet words of an Iroquois hymn, prepared for
them by their missionaries. The birds outside, stirred
to blither singing by the sound of voices within, warbled
their richest notes. The great forest that sheltered the
bark-covered shrine was alive with music, strange and
rapturous, like the strains heard by Saint Cecilia in her

:lii!l

IMPOSING CEREMONY IN THE BAUK CHAPEL. 161

vision, he Lamberville, entranced, stood at the altar
aud listened, like one in a dream. Each breath he drew
was a fervent prayer for his Indian flock. He was quite
aloue among them, — the only pale-face at Caughuawaga
Castle, — but he felt no isolation. He had given his
life to these people, and his heart vibrated in perfect
accord with the Iroquois music. If he thought of his
home in France and the glorious Easter anthems he had
heard at St Eustache and Notre Dame, it was not with
vain regret, but only with the calm assurance that if his
friends across the sea could hear these Indians singins
in their forest chapel and could see the face of this
Mohawk girl lit up with the joy of her baptism, they
would not feel that he was throwing away his life and
talents among barbarian tribes. The path of his duty
lay clearly before him.

" Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
These words were ever ringing in the missionary's ears.
It was in fulfilling this command that he had found
the Lily of the Mohawks ripe for Christianity. He felt
that he had gathered rich fruit with but little efifort,
and his next thought was how to keep it safe and bring
it to its highest perfection for the Master of the Vine-
yard, whom he served.

From the time of her baptism Katherine Tekakwitha's
life resembled in many respects the lives of the early
Christians. Chauchetifere thus speaks of her baptismal
name : —

" Several Indians bore this name before and after her, but
not one of them so worthily as the Blessed Catherine Tega-
kouita. La Praine de la Magdeleine possesses the precious

Kit

•4,

■3

««

162

KATEUI TEKAKWITliA.

remains of oue named Catherine Ganneuktcno, from Oneida,
who was the foundation stone of the mission. . . . Another
Catherine died at the Sault at the uge of thirteen, liaving
lived innocent as an angel, and died as a victim of virginity.
These two Catherines would have served as models for all
the Christian Indian women at the mission of the Sault,
had not Catherine Tcgakouita arisen to shine like a sun
among the stars."

eida,
uther
iving
nit}.
>r all
Inult,
sun

CHAPTER XIV.

PERSECUTIONS. — HEUOIC CALMNESS IN A MOMENT OF
PERIL. — MALICE OF TEKAKWITHA'S AUNT.

AFTER her baptism, Katherine Tekakwitha was
supremely happy. Her deft hands were as
busy as before, providing for the general comfort in her
uncle's lodge. Besides this she went back and forth
twice each day to the chapel, where the blackgown
assembled his dusky flock for morning and evening
prayers. On Sundays she heard Mass at the same bark-
covered slirine of St. Peter, and later on in the day she
joined in chanting the prayers of the chaplet with al-
ternate choirs of the Christian Indians. This was a
favorite religious exercise at all the Iroquois missions.
These people were gifted by nature with sweet voices,
and sang well together. If at any time the Mohawk
girl was beset with some difficulty or perplexity, she
went at once to tell it with all simplicity to Father de
Lamberville, who pointed out to her with great care
the path which he believed would lead her most di-
rectly on to holiness of life. Once sure of her duty,
Tekakwitha walked straight forward, with timid, down-
cast eyes, but joyous spirit, swerving neither to the
right nor to the left. The rule of life that the Father
prescribed for his other Christians to keep them from
the superstitious, impure feasts and drunken debauch-

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164

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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eries common among the Indians, was too general and
not advanced enough for Tekakwitha. She had always
avoided these excesses even in her heathen days, and
now her craving for a higher and deeper knowledge of
spiritual things was so great that the blackgown soon
found himself called on to direct her in the way of
special devotional exercises and unusual practices of
virtue.

In December, 1676, an event occurred of much inter-
est to the Christian Indians. On the feast of the Im-
maculate Conception, the blessing of the statue of Notre
Dame de Foye took place at Tionnontogen, or the Mis-
sion of St. Mary's. This statue was a fac-simile of a
highly venerated one of the Blessed Virgin in Belgium.
It was made of oak from the place where the first origi-
nated, and had been sent out from France to the In-
dians. Father Bruyas received it at Tionnontogen as
a precious gift to his Christian Mohawks. All the
neophytes of the neighboring villages assembled to see
it unveiled and solemnly blessed. It was placed in the
chapel in such a way that a bright ray of light falling^
through a small opening in the bark wall fell directly
upon the Madonna. The Indians had not seen anything
so beautiful and new to them since Boniface showed
them on Christmas day at Caughnawaga the little
statue of the Christ-child lying in a manger. Father
Martin, speaking of the unveiling of this statue of the
Madonna, says that Katherine Tekakwitha would not
fail to be present at this pious rendezvous. She was
baptized, it will be remembered, at Easter time ; and the
blessing of the statue of Notre Dame de Foye took
place on the 8th day of the following December.

PEBSECUTION&

165

Charlevoix says, alluding to Tekakv.tha's Christian
life: —

"From the first, her virtues gained admiration even
from those who were the furthest from imitating them ; and
those to whom she was subject left her free to follow the
promptings of her zeal for a short time. The innocence of
her life, and the precautions she took to avoid all occasions
of sin, and above all her extreme reserve with regard to all
which might in the slightest degree wound modesty, appear-
ing to the young people of the village a tacit reproach to
the licentious life which they led, several endeavored to
turn her astray, in the hope of tarnishing the splendor of
a virtue which dazzled them.

" On the other hand, although she neglected none of her
domestic labors and was ever ready to assist others, her
relatives murmured greatly at her spending all her free
time in prayer; and as she would not work on Sundays
and feastKlays, when forbidden by the Church, they would
deprive her of food the enti'^ day. Seeing that they gained
nothing by this means, they had recourse to more violent
measures, often ill-treating her in the most shameful man-
ner : when she went to the chapel they would send boys to
throw stones at and calumniate her; while drunken men, or
those pretending to be such, would piursue her and threaten
her life; but fearless of their artifices, she continued her
exercises as if in the enjoyment of the most perfect liberty
and peace."

She did not hesitate to say, when there was occasion
for it, that she would die rather than give up the prac-
tice of the Christian religion. Her resolution was put
to severe tests, but she never wavered. Chaucbeti^re
thus wrote concerning the persecutions she had to
endure at this time:^-

!♦

'*K

miMw* immmw^m^mm

1G6

KATEBI TEKAKW7THA.

" There are those who dare not declare themselves when
they are the only Christians in their cabin ; but Katherine
showed an extraordinary firmness of spirit against human
respect. When the children pointed their fingers at her^
when they called her no longer by her Indian name, but
called her by the name of Christian in derision, as though they
meant dog, — which lasted so long that they forgot her name,
giving her none other at all but that of ths Christian, because
she was the only one in the cabin v;ho was baptized,—
far from afflicting herself on account of this scorn of which
she was the object, she was happy to have lost her name.

" She had much to suffer from the mockeries of the sor-
cerers, of the drunkards, of all the enemies of * The Prayer/,
likewise of her uncle."

He too, as time went on, seems to have taken an ac-
tive part in persecuting the young giil who was entirely
dependent on him for protection from insult. When her
own uncle, the chief man of the castle, turned against
her, what could she expect from others but ill-treatment
of every sort ? Her firmness, which nothing could
shake, irritated her heathen relatives more and more.
They called her a sorceress. Whenever she went to
the chapel they caused her to be followed by showers
of stones, so that to avoid those who lay in wait for
her, she was often obliged to take the most circuitous
routes. Was it not strange that one so shy by nature
as Tekakwitha should have had the strength of will to
undergo all this without flinching ? She seemed to be
utterly devoid of fear ; though timid as a deer, she had
the courage of a panther at bay, and was no less quick
to act when the time for action came.

One day when she was employed as usual in her

A MOMENT OF PERIL.

167

uncle's lodge, a young Indian suddenly rushed in upon
her, his features distorted with rage, his eyes flashing
fire, his tomahawk raised above his head as if to strike
her dead at the least opposition. Tekakwitha did not
cry out, or make an appeal for mercy, or promise to
abandon the course she was taking in the midst of this
ever increasing torrent of threats and abuse. With
perfect composure, without the tremor or twitch of a
muscle, she simply bowed her head on her breast, and
stood before the wild and desperate young savage as
immovable as a rock. Words were not needed on
either side. With all the eloquent silence of the Indian
sign language, her gesture and attitude spoke to the
youth and said : " I am here, I am ready. My life you
can take ; my faith is my own in life or in death. I
fear you not 1 " The rage in the Indian's eye died out,
and gave place to wonder, then awe. He gazed as if
spellbound. The uplifted tomahawk dropped to his
side. Her firmness unnerved him. Admiration, then
a strange fear, overmastered the young brave, whose
brain perhaps had been somewhat clouded with liquor
when he thus undertook to rid the old chief's niece of
her Christian whims. Be that as it may, he could not
have been more astonished at what he beheld if a
spirit had appeared before him and ordered him out of
the lodge. Cowed and abashed, he slunk away, as if
from a superior being; or rather, in the words of
Charlevoix, "he turned and fled with as much pre-
cipitation as if pursued by a band of warriors."

Thinking Tekakwitha meant to join the Mohawks on
the St. Lawrence, they had sought by threatening her
life in this way to prevent her from carrying out her

■»!•

168

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

Ik*"

purpose. They now let her live in peace for a titzie.
No stone had been left unturned to weary her out and
break her spirit; it had all proved to be of no avaiL
They might as well have tried to frighten the stars from
their accustomed course through the heavens as to turn
this quiet Mohawk girl from the path her conscience
marked out. Her hold on faith and virtue was stronger
than torture or death. These first caprices of her tor-
mentors were followed a little later by a more dangerous
persecution, and to one possessed of Tekakwitha's sen-
sibilities, the most cruel of all

It was the last trial she was called upon to endure in
the land of her birth. It was the only ore, perhaps,
that could have estranged her from her nearest kindred
and her beloved Mohawk Valley ; for we are told that
she was particularly sensitive to the reproach they
made to her of having no natural affection for her rela-
tions and of hating her nation. Had this been true,
she would never have remained in her uncle's lodge as
she did, till its inmates hardened their hearts against her
to the exclusion even of the commonest sentiments of
humanity. This was particularly the case with one of
her aunts, who succeeded only too well in making the
life of her niece a torture. She was the direct cause
of Tekakwitha's last and severest trial in the Mohawk
country.

In 1677 the Lily of the Mohawks accompanied her
relatives on the usual spring hunt. They went in the
direction of the Dutch, we are told, or in other words,
towards the settlement at Schenectady. Had their ob-
ject been to fish, they would most likely have gone on
from there to the fishing village at the mouth of the

i' I

THE CAMP AT SARATOGA

169

Norman's Kill, near Albany, passing down through the
^ vale of Tawasentha." As these Indians went to hunt
and not to fish, they probably took instead one of the
many trails leading through the pine-forest of Saratoga,
any one of which would quickly bring them to a region
frequented by deer and game from the Adirondacks.
There, at a certain spot known to the Mohawks from
time immemorial, a strange medicinenspring bubbled
over the top of a round, high rock, and scattered its
health-giving waters at random over the ground. Then,
and for a hundred years to come, its existence was known
only to the Indians. No white man had ever been per-
mitted to lift its pungent water to his lips.

To this place, called " Serachtague " in his report of the
colony. Governor Dongan tried in vain to recall the
Iroquois Christians of Canada, by promising them Eng-
lish blackgowns,^ and undisturbed possession of their
favorite hunting-ground. With this interesting fact of
«arly Saratoga history, however, we are not now con-
cerned. As for the one involving Tekakwitha, here is
Chaucheti^re's account of what occurred at the Mohawk
hunting-camp, and of the report that was carried back
from there to the village : —

" In the spring or during the time of the chase she had
gone with her relations towards the Dutch, with her uncle.
The wife of this hunter did not like Catherine, perhaps be-

* These promiaes were of oo great account. Kiyn, the great Mo«
liawk warrior, said in 1687, " If a priest would settle at Saragtoga,
many [Indians] would return ; for they had longed and waited a long
time for it." Colonial Histoiy, vol. iiL p. 436. As this hope failed, and
neutrality was not possible, we find Krjm thenceforth in close allianoe
with the French.

•I.

■^ ^ -■

170

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

■I

H t.

cause the good life of Catherine was a reproach to the con-
trary life led by this infidel ; this woman examined all the
actions and all the words of Catherine, that she might dis-
cover something with which to find fault. It is a common
thing among the Indians to treat an uncle like a father, and
to call him by the very name of father. Catherine chanced
one day, in spi aking of this old man in company with
others, to let slip his name without using the name of
' father ' or ' my father ; ' this y .-•*nan noticed that, and judged
rashly of Catherine, and said that Catherine had sinned
with her husband. She did not fail to seek out Father Lam-
berville, and tell him that she whom he esi^eemed so much
had sinned. The Father wished to examine the reasons
which this woman had for treating in such a way this good
Christian, and having found out that the strongest was that
which I have just related, he sharply reproved this evil-
speaking tongue ; but he did not neglect to speak to Cather-
ine and to instruct her on the sin, and the pains of hell that
God has prepared for punishing it, and then he questioned
Catherine, who replied with firmness and modesty that never
had she fallen into this sin either on this occasion or on any
other, and that she did not fear to be damned [for it] ; but
much sooner, for not having courage enough to let them
break her head rather than to go to work in the fields on
Sunday. She believed sh*^ had not done enough by remain-
ing whole days without eating, for when she did not go to
work in the fields on Sundays, they would hide everything
there was to eat in the cabin, and they left her nothing of
what had been prepared for that day. This was in order
that hunger might oblige her to go to the fields, where they
would have forced her to work."

They declared that Christianity was making her lazy
and worthless. Had she been accustomed to idle away

MALICE OF HER AUNT.

171

as much of her time in amusement as the other young
squaws, she would not have been so treated ; but her
ill-natured aunts, for whom she had worked industri-
ously all her life, now begrudged her the one day of rest
out of seven which she took for conscience' sake. Thus
Sunday generally proved not a feast, but a fast-day to
Tekakwitha. Her life was becoming intolerable. Her
cruel and morose aunt, whom Martin rightly calls un
esprit bizarre, had received from Father de Lamberville
a reprimand which covered her with confusion. She
visited her chagrin upon the head of her innocent victim.
"Well !" she had said to the blackgown, "so Katherine,
whom you esteem so virtuous, is notwithstanding a
hypocrite who deceives you." As such her aunt now
treated her. This evil-minded old squaw, who looked
through the murky cloud of her ow^n sins at the bright-
xiess and holiness of the young life so close to hers, dis-
liked its radiance. It caused her to blink uncomfortably,
and she refused to believe in its truth. She shrank
back into the dark, which suited her better. In her
fruitless effbrtjs to hide from her wicked eyes the bright
light that shone about the pathway of TekaJkwitha, she
tried by every means in her power to brand the virtue
of her niece as a mere pretence, assumed to cover worse
deeds than her own.

There was no longer for the Lily of the Mohawks
even a shadow of protection in her home at Caugh-
nawaga Castle. Her uncle had beset her path with
drunken men and taunting children ; she had been de-
prived of food, she had been threatened with death, and
last of all, her aunt had done what she could to defame
her to the blackgown. He, however, was now her only

m I '

■^•^

172

KATEAI TEKAKWITHA.

• 1'

• I

friend ; and his advice to her was to leave the country
as soon as possible, and take refuge at the Praying Castle.
What wonder, then, that Tekakwitha, after having thus
spent a year and a half in her home as a Christian, be-
gan to look with longing eyes towards the new Caugh-
nawaga on the St. Lawrence, whither her adopted sister
and Anastasia Tegonhatsihongo had already gone. She
turned to the mission settlement in her thoughts as
to a land of promise and peace, an asylum where her
religion and her innocence would be respected.

Travelliiig Indians from the Sault came and went
among their tribesmen in the Mohawk Valley. Some-
times they were joined by new recruits, who returned
with them to Canada. Tekakwitha now greeted the
arrival of each band of these Christian Indians with a
hopeful smile; but again and again she saw them depart
with a weary sigh, for when they were gone, she felt that
her only chance of release from her trials had vanished
with them. Thus far none of them had offered to take
her to the Praying Castle, and indeed, she knew of no
one with whom she would have cared to go had she
been asked. She saw no way out of her troubles. Her
uncle, grown harsh and unkind to her, was displeased
with aU that she did in the lodge, and yet he would not
consent to her going away. The old chief was moody
and sullen at sight of his half-untenanted castle. Who
then would dare to tamper with his niece, or assist her
in any way to escape ? Who would ever be found will-
ing to undertake so dangerous a venture ? Tekakwitha
sadly realized her position, and felt that she could
only gather together the powers of her soul for patient
and persistent endurance even unto death. She knew

"A LILT AMONG THORNS."

178

that if her relatives could once force her by long-con-
tinued persecution to yield to them, their old kindness
would return; they would then be only too glad to
choose a husband for her, and to give her a place among
the oyanders, or noble matrons of the nation. But the
national life of the Mohawks was still thoroughly hea-
then, and her part was already taken with the Chris-
tians. She would not retreat one step, nor entertain
for a moment the thought of surrender, though sho was
cut off almost entirely from communication with those
of her own faith. She stood apart from them all, aad
suffered and made no moan. During this time Teka-
kwitha was learning the bitterest lesson of life ; she
was daily sounding the depths and unlocking the secrets
of unshared son'ow. In this the heart of the Lily was
waxing strong ; but alas ! her veiy soul was athirst for
the "living water" that was so cruelly denied her. She
had scarcely as yet been allowed to taste of its sweet-
ness. She knew that those who lived at the Sault were
permitted to drink deep of the precious draught, and
revelled in wealth of spiritual food. Thus checked and
deprived of instruction, how could she ever hope to ob-
tain the " bread of life " that was given out so freely at
the mission village ? Was she alone, of all the Iroquois
Christians, to hunger and thirst for these things without
relief till she died ? Was she to be all her life " the
only one in the lodge baptized " ? And would she be
always treated as now? She felt that she could not
endure it much longer and live ; for the Lily was left
quite alone among thorns, and the thorns were pricking^
her almost to death.

174

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

. "I

ft;.

CHAPTER XV.

HOT ASHES PLANS TEKAKWITUA's ESCAPE.

THE Indian chief Louis Garonhiagu^, known to the
English as Hot Ashes, and called by the French
La Poudre Chaude or La Cendre Chaude, was, as his
name implies, a quick-tempered, impulsive, and fiery
man. He was an Oneida by birth, and was known to
have been one of the executioners of the heroic mis-
sionary Brebeuf, who, with his companion Lalemant,
was tortured and slain in the Huron country by Iro-
quois warriors. Since that time Hot Ashes had become
a Christian. His career and character are interesting
and characteristic of the times. As this impetuous
chief, dogiqiie, and apostle was bold enough to come
forward and assist the Lily of the Mobav.'ks to escape
from her uncle's lodge to the Sault St. Louis, some
further account of him may well be given.

Hot Ashes had been betrothed to his wife in child-
hood. They had lived together from the time he was
eight years old. The violence of his nature was held in
check to a certain extent by the unalterable patience,
the gentleness, and the yielding disposition of his worthy
squaw. Their union was what Chauchetifere calls one
of the good marriages that are sometimes made among
the savages. Hot Ashes was chief or captain of his
village in the Oneida country, and was held in high

HOT A8UE8.

176

esteem by his tribesmen. His own quick temper was the
cause of his leaviug them. At one time the question of
moving the village to a new site — an event of frequent
occurrence among the Indians — gave rise to a quurrel
between the leading chiefs. While still angry on this
account, Hot Ashes went off to the hunt Thereupon a
second event occurred, of so irritating a nature that he
was enraged beyond all bounds. News cuuie to Iiim
that his favorite brother had been killed. The bearer
of the news did not tell him who had committed the
fatal deed. The furious and excitable chief immediately
persuaded himself that it had been done by tiie French.
Without waiting to learn the particulars, he hurried off
toward Montreal to wreak his vengeance on the Cana-
dian settlers. On his way, however, he learned that his
brother bad been killed in an entirely different quarter,
and not by these people at alL Hot Ashes was now
in a quandary. What should ho do next ? He was
near the Praying Castle on the St. Lawrence, whose
hospitable doors were always open to travellers, and
he paused there for a time to consider the situation.
The Indians of that place liked him from the first ; he
soon made friends among them, and his wife was
charmed with the quiet, orderly, and peaceful life of the
Christian Indians who dwelt there. Hot Ashes thus
had ample time to cool down and think matters over.
Should he now decide to return to his own country, he
would feel bound to avenge his brother's death, accord-
ing to custom, on the people by whom he had been
slain. He knew that this would involve his whole
nation in a bloody war. This he disliked to do ; for
when not in a tempest of anger. Hot Ashes was a gen-

I'*

!;!

176

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

,. J ■

erous, good-hearted man. Then, too, the longer he re-
mained at the Sault the more contented and calm ho
became. Won over by his wife Garhoit, he consented to
be instructed and to be baptized vfith his whole family.
The baptism of so important a chief was a great event
for the mission. All his own people who were in the
vicinity, and many even from the distant Oneida country,
assembled at the Praying Castle for the occasion. A
number of these remained and became Christians. There
were soon so many Oneidas dwelling at the Sault that
they needed a ruler of their own nation, and Hot Ashes
was chosen to preside over them. He thus became the
fourth dogique, or captain of the Praying Castle. He
soon ranked firpt of all in importance, notwithstanding
the ability of his .^tanch friend Kryn, the " great Mo-
har k." Still his unruly temper would break forth at
times, as it did on the occasion of his reception as
captain. The men of the Sault assembled in due form,
lighted the fire for him, gave him the calumet to smoke,
and went through all the ceremonies save one, which
most unfortunately was forgotten. Hot Ashes, indignant
at the oversight, went to Father Fremin, the missionary,
and gave vent to his ire. He said that they had mocked
him, that they had treated him like a child, that he was
a chief without a mat, that he would be obliged to hold
his council out of doors. In shoit, he could not be
pacified till the old men reassembled, and the whole
ceremony from beginning to end was gone over.

Once duly installed. Hot Ashes ruled the village with
ability and vigor up to the time of his death. He out-
lived Tekakwitha, and was finally killed in battle.
Many incidents are told of his courage, piety, and zeal.

HOT ASHES.

177

his devotion to his religion and the good of the settle-
ment, and also of his tenderness to his wife while suffer-
ing from grievous ailments which afflicted the later
years of her life. He had a natural talent for exhorting
and teaching. He won many of his own people to
Christianity, and when war was threatened he did what
he could to maintain peace between the Oneidas and
the French. While thus engaged he was suspected of
double dealing ; but taking no notice of the evil things
that were said of him, Hot Ashes held to his own
disinterested course with head erect, con^ding in his
<^ood wife, who alone remained true to him, till at last
he succeeded in living down all suspicion of treachery
on either side. He it was, more than all others, who
opposed and prevented the introduction of the liquor
traffic into the settlement at the Sault. A lively incident
is given by Chauchetifere to show his love of temperance.
Soon after his baptism he chanced to be hunting at the
end of the island of Montreal, when he fell in with a
band of Oneidas. They were being supplied with liquor
by an unscrupulous Canadian trader. They sat around
a great bowl of fire water, from which they drank freely,
and which was constantly replenished by the crafty
Frenchman. Hot Ashes was asked to join them. He
did so, through courtesy, and drank with the rest. Find-
ing that he was expected and urged to take more than
he ought, an expedient came into his ready brain for
preventing further mischief. As there were older men
than himself in the band, it would not have been con-
sidered proper for him to reprove them openly. This,
then, is what he did. He stood up and began to sing
like a drunken man, and to dance. Suddenly he pre-

'!»

;i)

«•

178

K^'^^ltl TEKiVKWITHA.

J?;

tended to take a false step, and at the same time gave
the bowl a great kick with his foot. This scattered its
contents over the ground. The Indians, not suspecting
his intention, looked upon the accident as a good joke.
They began to laugh uproariously and to make fun of
Hot Ashes, who went on with his mimicry. In the
mean time night came on, and they thought no more of
drinking, but all fell asleep. Hot Ashes then retired,
well pleased with having put a stop to the debauch.

Other anecdotes might be given to show the character
and spirit of this Indian ; but it is enough to know that
he was just the one to assist the Lily of the Mohawks
in the accomplishment of her now well-defined purpose,
— to escape at all hazards, and turn from her uncle's
lodge to the Praying Castle.

Tekakwii/ha's adopted sister, already in Canada, knjw
■well the condition of affairs in the Mohawk country, and
above all, in the lodge of the chief, ^ 7ith whom she had
formerly lived at Caughnawaga. She was fully aware that
Tekakwitha's life there as a Christian would necessarily
be a thorny one. She and her husband often spoke of
the unhappy condition in which the young Mohawk
was placed, and of the desirability of having her with
them. When it became known that Hot Ashes was
about to visit the Long House of the Five Nations on
an errand of zeal, they realized at once that the wished-
for opportunity had come. They would now be able to
assist Tekakwitha. The Oneida chief intended to speak
to his people concerning the faith that was in him, and
to persuade as many of them as possible to return with
him to the Sault. Tekakwitha's brother-in-law, urged
by his wife, resolved to accompany Hot Ashes on his

TEKAKWITHA'S ESCAPE.

179

proposed journey, and in order to make sure of canymg
out his own immediate purpose, — which was to bring
his sister-in-law back with him, — he took into his con-
fidence a good friend of his from Lorette, a mission vil-
lage of the Hurons, near Quebec. This Indian of
Lorette and the brother-in-law of Tekakwitha consalted
with Hot Ashes, and the three together planned their
journey as best they could beforehand. Then they
stepped lightly into a canoe, just large enough to hold
them, and soon were speeding southward over Lake
Champlain, and thence through Lake George on their
way to the Mohawk Valley.

Ah, Tekakwitha, why is your step so weary there
in the village street ? Why do you pause at the cabin
door as though you did not care to enter ? Why are
you sad and faint ? Have they hidden the food away
from you again, lest you should find a morse! to eat, and
will you be greeted with angry words if you enter
your uncle's lodge ? Is it no easier for you to bear it
now than it was at first ? Poor child ! you are both
hungry and hungry-hearted; human nature is strong
within you to-day. The craving for peace and comfort
and human love will not be hushed and trampled under
by faith, and the hope of a far-away heaven. Has
Rawenniio forgotten the Mohawk girl ? She seems to
be drifting away from the sound rf his voice. The
strength of her spirit is gone. She is sad unto death.
Why not give up the struggle at once, go into the lodge,
and consent to do like the rest ? For one who has
grown too weary to swim, it can scarcely be wrong to
drift with the current. Are these your thoughts, Teka-
kwitha ? See I They have startled her out of her weari-

.i 1

8!,

180

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

ness I With a sudden return of energy and a quick
determination, as if afraid to trust herself in the lodge^
she turns and takes the path to the chapeL She will
find the blackgown, if it is possible to do so ; she will tell
him her wicked thoughts, and be guided by what he
says. He is wise and good. He can tell her how to
chase such thoughts away, and perhaps she can keep
them from coming back. At all events, he will speak
to her the comforting words of forgiveness and tell her
to go in peace. Then she will be sure that Rawenniio
loves her and is not angry. She knows the path so well
that she quickly comes within sight of the chapel. As
it is not her usual hour for prayer, no one is around to
waylay or disturb her.

Close at hand is De Lamberville's cabin. Tekakwitha
does not find him at once, for the blackgown has guests.
They av3 Christian Indians, who have come from the
Sault, and there are three of them. Father de Lamber-
ville is well pleased to have such visitors ; he welcomes
the Christians from the Sault who come to the Mohawk
as if they were angels come from heaven.- He gladly
receives them into his cabin, and leaves them free to
come and go as they please. " One could see the spirit
of Christianity and the mortification of the passions
depicted on the faces of these new apostles." The
novelty of seeing and hearing them on this occasion
has already attracted a crowd of Indians to the spot.
One of the blackgown's guests has risen to make a
speech.

Tekakwitha finds herself in the midst of the old mpn
and the chiefs of Caughna\/aga who are assembled there,
and she listens with eager interest to all that is said.

TEKAKWITHA'S ESCAPE.

181

Her uncle is away on a visit to the Dutch, which happens
well for her. It is no less a personage than Hot Ashes
who is addressing the people. In his impetuous, head-
long way he tells them that " as they all know, he was
formerly captain at Oneida, that he was a warrior, and
that he acted like them in those days, but that after all
he was only a dog ; that he had begun to be a man a
few months back ; and he said many touching things,"
continues Chauchetifere, "but nobody profited by them
at all except Catherine. The old men withdrew,
one after another, and left the speaker almost entirely
alone. Catherine could not separate herself from these
new-comers. She declared to the Father that she must
indeed go away, even at the cost of her life." She was
too unhappy and iistrustful of herself and her own
powers of endurance to remain longer in the country
where she was exposed to so many and such constant
trials of her strength and her faith. Father de Lamber-
ville, moved by her earnest words, spoke to Hot Ashes
and his companions about her. He asked if it would
be possible for them to take her back with them to
Canada. " Certainly," they said. It was in the hope
of assisting her to escape that they had come to
Caughnawaga. Hot Ashes at or je offered Tekakwitha
his own place in the canoe. He said that he intended
to go on to Oneida and to pass through all the Iroquois
nations, preaching the faith. Her brother-in-law, there-
fore, and the Indian from Lorette, could take the canoe
and return with Tekakwitha to the Praying Castle. God
had provided » means of escape fnr her most unexpect-
edly. It was the very best opportunity she could have
to go ; her uncle was away, and her aunts, either through

.'fcs*

• «<• '

1 i

182

KATERI T£KAKWITUA.

indifference or ignorance of the plan, put no obstacle in
her path.

Tekakwitha was never known to falter when the
moment came for prompt decision and instant action.
Chaucheti^re says: "The resolution was no sooner taken
than it was carried into execution."

The two companions of Hot Ashes put Tekakwitha
secretly into the canoe with them, and immediately
took the route leading towards the Dutch ; ^ that is to
say, they embarked on the Mohawk Eiver and followed
its course for some distance, before taking any one of
the different woodland trails leading to Lake George.

1 According to Cholenec's account of Tekakwitha's escape, her
brother-in-law went on a hurried visit to the Dutch and back again to
Caughnawaga, before he started with her at alL This he did in order
to mislead her uncle, who would think he had come to that vicinity
for no other purpose than to trade in beaver-skins. The minor details
of her journey are somewhat confused in the two accounts of Choleneo
and Chaucheti^re, but the main facts are the same in both.

I ;

TO THE NEW CAUGHNAWAGA.

183

CHAPTER XVI.

FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW CAUGHNAWAGA.

AS they left Caughnawaga Castle, and paddled
around the sharp hends of the Mohawk Kiver,
the two Indians who were conducting this stirring ad-
venture used the utmost caution to prevent an en-
counter between Tekakwitha and her uncle, who might
be at that very time returning from Schenectady. This
they dreaded above all things. If the old chief should
meet her in company with them, he would suspect their
purpose at once, and the lives of the three would be in
danger. They followed the course of the river current,
however, as it carried them in the general direction
of their journey more swiftly than they could otherwise
travel They wished to make the most of their time
before the uncle could be warned of their departure from
the castle. It was probably not far from the spot where
the Chuctanunda Creek at Amsterdam ^ comes tumbling
down the hill into the Mohawk, or in that vicinity, that
she and her two companions left the canoe by the river-
side and took to the woods ; as in the thickets along

1 Amsterdam is the point at which the Mohawk so bends its course
to the southeast that any further advance by the river would have
taken the fugitives away from rather than towards their destination.
To have left the river sooner would have carried them over a rough and
difficult country.

f) '•

't^K

1';

•111

1 :

184

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

the less frequented trail by land, it would be easier for
Tekakwitha to conceal herself quickly in case of alarm,
than if they were to continue the journey further by
way of the river. Had they followed the latter course,
the)i would have been obliged to take a more easterly
trail across Saratoga County.*

As they feared, the uncle was soon on their trail ; for
shortly after the three mission Indians had disappeared
from Caughnawaga Castle Tekakwitha's absence was
noticed. It was quickly inferred that she had gone to
Canada. She was not in the lodge, not in the chapel,
nor with the girls at the spring. Instantly a runner
was despatched to the Dutch settlement to warn the
Turtle Chief of what had occurred. The news filled
him with rage. Leaving his Dutch friends abruptly, he
started homeward to learn if it wero indeed true that
his niece had vanished, and if so, speedily to follow her.
On his way to the cfistle he passed an Indian travelling
rapidly in the opposite direction from himself, whom he
scarcely noticed and did not recognize. Nevertheless
this Indian was no other than Tekakwitha's brother-in-
law, — the veiy man he wanted to capture. The unrec-
ognized relative knew the chief as soon as he saw him,
but he was too near to avoid passing him without ex-
citing suspicion. So, feigning an unconcern which he
was far from feeling, he kept straight on, and passed
the old man safely. He then continued his journey to
Schenectady. The chief, on the other hand, was in
quite as great a hurry to reach the Mohawk village.
Perhaps he had doubts as to the truthfulness of what
he had heard. At all events, when he arrived at Caugh-

1 See "Indian Trails in Saratoga Connty," Appendix, Note D.

•' I,

TO THE NEW CAUGHNAWAGA.

185

for

nawaga he went directly to his own lodge, and found
that Tekakwitha was indeed not there, and had not been
since the departure of Hot Ashes. Immediately he gath-
ered what information he could at the castle, " loade<l
his gun with three balls, declaring that he would kill
somebody," and started in pursuit of the fugitives.
Once thoroughly roused, his unaided sagacity put him
on the trail by which he might overtake them before
they could reach Lake George.

In the mean time what had become of Tekakwitha ?
"Why was her brother-in-law travelling alone ? Ah I
she and the good Indian of Lorette were concealed in
the bushes, either near the river-bank at Amsterdam
or on the high ground to the northeast of that town.
Her brother-in-law had left them there, while he made
a brief trip to Schenectady and back in order to buy
bread. They had started from Caughnawaga Castle in
haste, without provision for the journey. He soon re-
turned to the secluded spot where his companions were
waiting for him. Tekakwitha was greatly relieved to
«ee him. When he gave them a graphic account of his
narrow escape from discovery, she looked upon it as a
certain proof that God was watching over them. She
resolved that on reaching the Sault, as she now hoped
to do, she would endeavor in every way to show her
gratitude to Him. Up to this time she had lived in
great seclusion and subjection, and of late had suffered
constant persecution and torture of spirit. This sudden
freedom, then, from all the bonds that bound her to her
lodge and tribe ; the intense excitement attending her
sudden departure ; these days of concealment in the
weird and gloomy forest; this unforeseen companion-

186

KATERI TEKAKWITIIA.

' !

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','i

I I

ship with strangers, who proved to be as gentle and as
solicitous for her safety as if she were indeed a beloved
sister ; and more than all the wonderful way in which
everything seemed to concur in aiding her escape, —
could not fail to make a deep and lasting impression
on her sensitive soul. Every spiritual and religious
tendency of her nature was intensified by this new and
strange experience. In leaving her home and under-
taking so perilous a journey she had thrown herself
without reserve into the arms of Providence, and now
resting there, she was carried almost without an ef-
fort through hair-breadth escapes from dangers that no-
earthly consideration would ever have nerved her to face.
She felt that she could not henceforth do otherwise than
devote her all to Rawenniio, — the tnte God.

Their probable route to Lake George was through,
what is now the township of Galway in Saratoga County,
and thence up the valley of the Kayaderosseras Creek,
skirting the eastern side of the long mountain-ridge that
carries Lake Desolation high on its back. Through this
region one can travel almost in a straight line of open
country from Amsterdam on the Mohawk to Jessup's
Landing on the Hudson. There the river is fordable,
just above Palmer's Falls and below the old sc^w-ferry.
A well-worn trail followed the eastern bank of the
river from there to Luzerne, and then turned northeast,,
through a beautiful valley, to the mountainous shores
of Lake George. Somewhere on this direct route across
the country, Tekakwitha's uncle overtook one of the
two Indians who were escorting her to Canada. Ap-
parently this Indian was engaged in hunting. Just as
the chief approached, the hunter took aim as if at a bird

TO THE NEW CAUGIINAWAOA.

187

ind ds
eloved
which
ipe, —
ression
ligious
Bw and
under-
herself
id now
an ef-
that no
to face,
ise than

through
County,
IS Creek,
idge that
)ugL thia
5 of open
Jessup'a
fordable,
,oW-ferry.
k of the
lortheast,.
as shorea
ite across
le of the
ida. Ap-
Just as
• at a bird

and fired his gun. This was a preconcerted signal to
his companion, who was some distance iu advance, to
conceal the Indian girl It was so understood. In an
instant Tekakwitha was hidden in a clump of thick
undergrowth. Her ready-witted corapcnion threw him-
self on the ground near her, took out his pipe, lit it,
and lazily watched the curling smoke as he puffed it
from his mouth. Tekakwitha's uncle, coming upon the
second Indian in this attitude, was completely discon-
certed. Where then was his niece ? Assuredly not in
company with these men. They were fully absorbed
in their own affairs, and scarcely noticed his appniach.
She might be even then at work in the corn-fields down
by the Mohawk, or saying her prayers in the woods be-
hind the castle. In either case he would not have found
her in the lodge. He had acted foolishly, and followed
an idle rumor without sufficient thought He would not
expose his folly further by questioning these men about
her. Having reached this determination, he turned
without a word as to what was uppermost in his mind,
and silently retraced his steps to the Mohawk Valley.

As for Tekakwitha, she felt as sure just then of
Eawenniio's direct protection and care, as if she had
seen the Great Spirit himself standing in front of her
hiding-place and concealing her from the suspicious
eyes of her uncle. How else could the wise old chief
have been so easily misled by such simple means?
"With a light heart she resumed her jourr.ey. Their
worst danger was pissed. When they reached the shore
of Lake George, a little search among the bushes brought
to light the canoe which her companions had left there
on their journey southward with Hot Ashes. Once

lb8

KATKRI TKKAKWITIIA.

^!,

I' i

fairly luunclied, they felt secure ; aud as they paddled
up tiie lake, hugging the westward or leeward side,
where cunoes find the smoothest water, they woke its
eclioes with the chanting of Iroquois hymns. Thus did
the daughter, a voluntary exile from her home in the
Mohawk Valley, retrace the path over land and water
tmvelled years before by lier captive Algonquin mother.
In her ears had sounded not sacred hymns, but only the
wild music of the war-song and the plaintive strains of
the Indian love-song. In those days of war and blood-
slied the Christian hymn of the Iroquois had not yet
been sung. The Mohawk mission had been but recently
founded. The blood of the martyred Jogues still lay
fresh on the ground, and the soul of the Lily had not
yet come into existence.

During this long jouniey the many thoughts of Tek-
akwitha must have gone back to the dreary lodge on
the banks of the Cayudutta, where her usual daily
tasks were neglected, and where her baffled, deserted
uncle now sat disconsolate by the hearth-fire. If these
thoughts brought a pang to her warm heart, she could
console herself with the remembrance that the bless-
ing of her dead mother would not fail to follow her on
the journey. As the three Christians left behind them
" the tail of the lake " (Andiatorocte), and paddled past
Ticonderoga, they did not pay the customary tribute to
the little people under the water. Their heathen tribes-
men might, if they chose, cast their tobacco into the
lake to gain the good-will of the sprites who were said
to prepare the well-shaped arrow-flints with which the
shore just there is strewn ;^ for when the surface of the

^ This custom is mentioned in the Jesuit " Belations."

TO THE NKW CAUUHNAWACiA.

189

lake was rough they thought tlie little jKiopIo were angry.
But Tekakwitba aud her conipuuioii.s had renounced
these superstitions of their mco. They knew that God
alone was ruler of wind and wave. On no account
could they be induced to pay homage to any such mis-
chievous sprites of the lake. They asked Kawenniio in-
stead to forgive the people, and to turn their thoughts
away from all such foolish worship. " Her journey,"
says Chauchetifere, " was a continual prayer, and the joy
that she felt in approaching Montreal could not be ex-
pressed. Behold then our young savage, twenty-one
years of age, who escapes holy and pure, and who tri-
umphs over the impurity, the infidelity, and the vice
•which have corrupted all the Iroquois ! Behold the
Genevieve of Canada, behold the treasure of the Sault,
who is at hand, and who has sanctified the path from
Montreal to the Mohawk, by which other predestined
souls have passed after her ! " When she found herself
far from her own country, and realized that she had
nothing more to fear on the part of her uncle, she gave
herself entirely to God, to do in the future whatever
would please him best. She arrived in the autumn of
the year 1677,* and the desire that she had to get there
as soon as possible was the reason for not stopping on
the way. On her arrival, she put the letters that Father
de Lamberville had written into the hands of the Fathers,
who, having read them, were delighted to have acquired
a treasure ; for these were the words of the letter : " I
send you a treasure ; guard it well." Her face told more
than the letters. Her joy was unspeakable on finding

^ Chaucheti^re says 1678, but this is evidently a mistake. The date
given by Cholenec is 1677.

190

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

?!.

1 (

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M'li;

herself in the land of light, freed froui the sorrows of
spirit which she had endured from not being able to
serve God as she wished to serve him, freed too from
the persecutions which were inflicted upon her in her
country and in her cabin.

She was received at once into the lodge of Auastasia
Tegonhatsihongo, her mother's old friend, with whom
her sister and her sister's husband already dwelt

From the time of her arrival at the new Caughna-
waga, Chauchetifere and Cholenec, the two biographers of
Kateri Tekakwitha, were both close and observant wit-
nesses of her life. They were also present at her death.
Henceforth, then, we will let them speak often and
at length, telling in their own way of the rapid unfold-
ing of spiritual life which took place in this untaught
child of Nature. Transplanted from the heart of a
heathen wilderness into a settlement of fervent souls, —
for such from all accounts was the mission village at
the Sault, — the Lily of the Mohawks caught up with
keenest relish the inspiration in the air about her. She
was lifted with marvellous rapidity to a height of holi-
ness that drew all eyes in Canada towards her. It was
there in the land of her adoption that she won the title
of " La Bonne Catherine." Those who have patience to
read on to the end of her biography will see how the
brief life of this Indian girl was indeed radiant with
love of the true God.

The letter which she bore with her from the Mohawk
Valley, written by Father de Lamberville, who had bap-
tized her, and which was addressed to Father Cholenec,
to whose flock she was henceforth to belong, is given in
full by Martin, as follows : —

TO THE NEW CAUGHNAWAGA

191

rrows of
able to
^o from
in her

.uastasia
whom
^elt

aughna-
iphers of
rant wit-
er death,
ften and
I unfold-
untaught
art of a
souls, —
dllage at
, up with
ber. She
it of holi-
It was
I the title
itience to
how the
iant with

"Catherine Tegakouita va demeurer au Saut. Veuillez-
Yous charger, je vous en prie, de sa direction. Vous cou-
naitrez bientdt le tresor que nous vous donnons. Gardez le
done bien ! Qu'eutre vos mains il profite k la gloire de Dieu,
et au salut d'une ame qui lui est assurement bien chere." ^

1 " Catherine Tegakwita goes to uwell at the Sault. I pray you to
take the charge of her direction. You will soon know the treasure that
we give you. Guard it, then, well ! May it profit in your hands to
the glory of God, and to the salvation of a soul that is assuredly very
dear to Him."

Mohawk

had bap-

Cholenec,

J given m

&mm

192

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER XVII.

AT THE SAULT ST. LOUIS.

*■* . Mi '

:;'h

',-" Is!

fMt,

«l!

FROM the time of her arrival in Canada, in the
autumn of the year 1677, Tekakwitha was inva-
riably called by her baptismal name of Katherine, or
Kateri ; and that the reader may better understand her
new life at the Sault with its surroundings, we will
endeavor to draw a picture of it, gathering the details
from all available sources.

In the cabin of Anastasia Tegonhatsihongo, Kateri
already feels at home. It is a hospitable lodge ; for
there her adopted sister also dwells, busy with the care
of her family. The new-comer is quite free to follow
her own inclination, and spends day after day at the
feet of the zealous and well-instructed Anastasia, This
good woman takes great delight in teaching her all she
herself knows of the beliefs and ways of the Christians.
In the glow of the autumn days Kateri sits and listens
with rapt attention to every word that drops from the
lips of Anastasia. The hands of both are busily employed
on moccasin or skirt, or close-woven mat of ru. hes ; and
the minds of both are keenly active in the realm of
spiritual and religious thought. When they glance out
at the broad St. Lawrence, they see before them the
tossing rapids, foaming round the wooded Island of the
Herons. They themselves are high above the moving

AT TUL SAULT ST. LOUIS.

193

waters, but not far away. The bank at the mission
village is steep and grassy. Kateri's sister has need
to watch her children closely, for if they play too near
the falling ground by the river, a careless lurch might
quickly send a dark-skinned little Jean Baptiste or newly
christened Joseph rolling down to the water's edge. A
slender isle't partly breaks the swash of tlie eddying
water? asainst the mainland. On the bank of tlie
river, overlooking the islet, stands a tall cross which can
be seen from every side. Kateri saw its outstretched
arms shovvin<r above the bark roofs when she first ar-
rived, St. Francois Xavier du Sault (in 1677) is close
to tlie mouth of thj river Portage,^ a small but deep-
bedded stream, which protects the village on its western
side. This high ground in the angle of the Portage and
St. Lawrence rivers was chosen for the people of the
mission when they removed from the meadow-lands at
La Prairie. A score or more of Indian cabins have been
built on the new site; it is in one of these recently
erected lodges that Kateri sits listening to the words of
Anastasia. This is the very year in which Cholenec, the
Jesuit Father, who lives in the priest's house near the
chapel, writes to his superior that there are twenty-two
of these cabins. Most of them, it must be remembered,
are the long-houses of the Iroquois, containing several
families. They are more comfortable than the lodges
abandoned at La Prairie. The fields they are cultivating
this year are not so damp, and the corn grows better
here by the Portage. Anastasia tells Kateri that the
temporary chapel of wood which they use now will soon

1 See map, Les Cinq Stations du Village, etc. The circle enclosing
a figure 2, and surmounted by a cross, marks the site here described.

t^ , -"S.-rL.-aBE;.; -ri. .. Jl»IL- -

*mf

sii

f4!

194

XATEUI TKKAKWITHA.

give place to a spleudid stone church, sixty feet long, as
line as any in that part of Canada. The foundations are
already laid, and the work goes steadily on. The French
colonists, across the river and beyond the Sault, are also
making plans to build a grand parish church at Mon-
treal. Ho far the only places of worship at Ville Mrrie
are the chapels of the UOtel Dieu and the fort, and the
small stone church of Our Lady of Bon Secours, just
erected, Montreal has been in existence for thirty-tive
years, and has about a thousand inhabitants. At the
Sault there are between two and three hundred per-
manent Indian residents and Uiree Jesuit F{ thers ; but
other missionaries and many travelling Indians are ac-
customed to stop there in passing. The people at the
Sault are famous for their hospitality, and so anxious to
make converts to Christianity that they put everything
they possess at the disposal of their guests. They have
even been known to give up their freshly made corn-fieids
to new-comers, to induce them to dwell at the Praying
Castle. They willingly take upon themselves the work
of a second planting to supply their own households.
Give the Indian a sufficient motive for hard work, and
how completely the charge of idleness against his race
ialls to the ground !

Father Cholenec writes (1677) that there are four
captains or chiefs, two Iroquois and two Huron, who
govern the village at the Sault. He has "reason to
hope, though," he says, " that they will soon have four
Iroquois captains." Of one of these. Hot Ashes, we
already know something. This friend of Kateri Teka-
kwitha is not only a governing chief, but famous also as
a dogique, or catechist. The dogique Paul is another of

who

IWSHHBnB'SWW^

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«ll.

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ft;:;;

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■ ft!'

AT THE SAULT ST. LOUIS.

195

these chiefs, chosen among the very first, and famous
for his eloquence. Hot Ashes having separated from
Kateri and his two companions at Caughnawaga on the
Mohawk, and given her the use of his canoe, has now
gone on to preach Christianity among the Oneidas, and
has not yet returned. In the mean time Anastasia has
many questions to ask Kateri about her recent long
journey and about this same great chief. How was he
received in the Mohawk villages ? What did the old
men think of him, and how was this one or that one
of her friends or relatives disposed towards the Chris-
tians at the Sault ? Then, too, she has more personal
inquiries to make ; for she wishes to find out who have
been Kateri's intimrte friends, and how she has con-
ducted herself on certain trying occasions. Keenly the
shrewd old matron watches the young face to see if
she answers her frankly, and to read, if possible, her
inmost thoughts and wi.(«hes. She has taken a strong
interest in the girl. She recognizes in her many a trait
and feature of her gentle Algonquin mother ; and if at
times, as Kateri recalls the scenes of her past life and
the indignities she has suffered, a flash of Mohawk spirit
gleams in her eye, Tegonhatsihongo loves her none the
less for it. " She has her father's courage and endurance ;
she will make a noble Christian," is the matron's thought ;
and she spares no pains to give Kateri the benefit of her
carefully garnered little store of Christian knowledge.
She claims a mother's confidence from the girl, and in
return treats her like a daughter. But there is, after
all, a sternness, a severity about the Christianity of this
Mohawk woman which, though it gives power and effi-
cacy to her exhortations and instructions to the other

■a^^

196

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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young people at the Sault, who respect and reverence
her, ia perhaps in Kateri's case to be regretted. An-
astasia is accustomed to dwell so much and at such
length on the heinousness of sin and its terrible conse-
quences, here and hereafter, that Kateri from being con-
stantly near her, though more spiritual and pure-hearted
already than any of her companions, soon begins to
inflict upon herself severe penances to atone for what
she considera great wickedness on her part. This wick-
edness consists chiefly in having adorned herself in past
years with beads, trinkets, and Indian ornaments, which
she did oftener to please her aunts than to gratify her
own vanity.

One day soon after her arrival, Anastasia noticed that
Kateri had wampum beads around her neck and in her
hair; and the elder woman questioned her to find out if
she really cared for these things. It cost Kateri nothing
to lay them aside the moment she thought that it might
be pleasing to " the true God " if she did so. Her only
motto henceforward was, " Who will teach me what is
most pleasing to God, that I may do it ?"

It was love for Rawenniio, and a desire to prepare
herself as soon as possible for her first communion, that
kept Kateri so close to the side of her instructress.
Says Chauchetifere, —

"She learned more in a week than the others did in
several years. She never lost a moment, either in the cabin,
in the fields, or in the woods. She was always to be seen,
rosary in hand, with her dear instructress, going or coming
with her bundle of firewood. She never left Anastasia,
because she learned more from her when they two were
alone, gathering fagots in the woods, than in any other

AT THE SAULT ST. LOUIS.

197

way. Her actions made Auastasia say of her that slie
.never lost sight of God. Their talk was about the life and
<loings of good Christians ; and as soon as she heard it said
that the Christians did such and such things, she tried to
put what she heard into practice. She was like a holy bee,
«eeking to gather honey from all sorts of flowers. She had
few companions, even of her own sex, because she wished
no other ties than those that would bring her nearer to a
perfect life, in which respect her prudence was admirable.
She separated herself from a certain person with whom she
hud associated, because she noticed that she had a false
pride ; but she accomplished the separation without appear-
ing to despise the person she left."

When Anastasia spoke to Kateri of the necessity of
avoiding slander, — a vice to which the squaws were
much addicted, — Kateri asked her what that meant. It
is not surprising that she did not know what evil speaking
wa", for she was never known to say a word against any
one, not even against those who calumniated her. One
day her amiability was put to the proof. A young man
passed through the cabin where she sat with Anastasia,
and roughly pulled aside her blanket with these words:
*' They say this one has sore eyes ; let 's see." Kateri
flushed deeply, but made no retort. She gathered her
blanket about her, and continued the conversation with
her friend.

She learned from Anastasia the order of religious
exercises at the Praying Castle, and never failed in reg-
ular attendance at the chapel. She became the most
fervent spirit in that devout community; indeed the lives
of the Indian converts at the Sault seem to have been
more like the lives of the early Christians and martyrs,

198

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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;?::!;;

* i'il; .

in fervor and heroic devotion, than any that history has
elsewhere recorded. At the first dawn of day, after hav-
ing said their private morning prayers in the cabins, they
were accustomed to assemble at the chapel, to visit the
Blessed Sacrament. If there happened to be a Mass at
that hour, they stayed to hear it, and then returned to
their cabins. At sunrise the regular daily Mass of thb
Indians was said. At this they all assisted, chanting
Iroquois Jiymns and other prayers, including the Creed
and the Ton Commandments. These sacred songs were
intoned by the dogique, or catechist, and sung by al-
ternate choirs of men and women. The Indians
never tired of singing, and the hymns prepared for
them in their own language were full of instruction.
In this way they learned in a very short time the
laws of Christian momlity and the mysteries of the
Faith.

The missionaries at the Sault were accustomed to hold
frequent conferences on religion. Objections to doc-
trine were raised b' one of the audience, and answered
either by the priest or dogique. Instead of referring to
books, which the Indians could not read or understand,
sets of pictures were shown to them, such as had been
used successfully in France to instruct the ignorant
peasantry of Bas Breton. These proved exceedingly
useful among the unlettered Indians, and they soon
learned to carry on conferences among themselves in the
absence of the missionary. Many converts from pa-
ganism were made in this way ; and being already well
instructed by the dogiques, they had only to be brought
to the Fathers to be baptized.

The method of the Jesuit missionaries when devoting

AT THE 8AULT 8T. LOUIS.

199

themselves to the redmen, was to begin their instruction
ic. religion at once. To use the words of Shea, —

"They did not seek to teach the Indians to read and
write as an indispensable prelude to (Christianity. That
they loft for times when greater peace might render it
feasible, when long self-control should make the children
less averse to the task. The utter failure of their Huron
seminary at Quebec, as well as of all the attempts made by
others at the instance of the French Court, showed that to
wait till the Indians were a reading people would bo to
postpone their conversion forever; and, in fact, we see
Eliot's Indian Bible outlive the pagan tribes for whom it
was prepared."

The people of the Sault, though unable to read or
write, were well and thoroughly instructed Christians ;
aud on more than one occasion the white men were
put to shame by the greater integrity, morality, and
piety of these fervent converts. The public sentiment
was so strong there in favor of temperance that on one
occasion when a drunkard appeared in their village, he
was by common consent stabled with the pigs, and the
next day was chased out of the settlement

After the morning Mass, when the men and women
went off to work in the fields or cabins, the children
were gathered into the chapel and instructed orally.

Many of the Indians objected to having their chil-
dren taught to read and write, on the ground that it
left them no time to become expert at hunting, and to
gain other acquirements more useful to them; but it
must not be inferred, therefore, that the children had no
schooling. On the contrary, their parents were well

ju'mstMmm

200

KATKUl IKKAKWITIIA.

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pleased to have them ussenihlud at rcguhir hours and
tsiu;,'ht iimny things hy the bhickgowns, th(>ii;4h without
giving u)) to it the greater part of the day. ik'iiides tliis,
there was a zealous young Indian in the village, named
Joseph Uontagorha, who gathered the children about him
in the evenings to catechise them and to teach tiiem
singing. A pathetic story is told by Father Cholenec of
one ot Joseph's pupils, — a little child who was dying.
He would not be satisfied till they had called together
Lis young friends to sing the Iroquois hymns they hud
been learning. The dying child joined his voice with
theirs, till his strength failed him. He breathed his
soul away to Heaven on the solemn strains of bis
favorite hymn. The sweet voices of the awe-stricken
children died away into a silence which was broken only
by their sobs, when they realized that the voice of their
companion would join with theirs no more.

The Bishop of Quebec, Monseigneur Laval, had
journeyed up the St. Lawrence and visited the mission
of St. Fran(;ois Xavier shortly before Kateri's arrival, and
while the village was still at La Prairie. He had been
received at the landing thero with rustic pomp, and the
dogique Paul made an eloquent address of welcome.
The bishop administered confirmation to a hundred of
the Indians on that occasion, and made a stay of several
days among them. He was greatly edified by what he
saw ; and the Indians, on their part, were deeply im-
pressed by ceremonies they then witnessed for the first
time.

Again in 1685 they were visited by the newly
appointed bishop Monseigneur de Saint-Valier.

While Kateri lived among them, however, no episcopal

;■'

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AT THE 8AULT ST. LOUIS.

201

bad

ini-
first

visitation is recorded ; probably none occurred. Tbough
sbe did not receive contirnmtion, sbe had more spiritual
advantages than she had hoped for. She was much
pleased to find that many of tiie pagan festivals which
were observed each year in the Mohawk country were
<liscontinued by her tribesmen at the Sault. Her supe-
rior intellect as well as her love of purity had caused
her to avoid taking part in the dissolute and supersti-
tious rites which accompanied many of these Iroquois
feasts.

Only two of the old national festivals were retained
at the Sault. These were the Planting Festival and the
joyous Harvest Festival, at the gathering and husking
of the corn. But even these were hallowed and sanc-
tified by the prevailing spirit of religion. Tho seed
was brought to the missionaries to be blessed for sow-
ing, and the first fruits of the harvest were laid upon
the altar.

After Kateri's long sojourn among pagans, what a
joy it was to her to share in the ideal Christian life
of these Iroquois converts !

Three times a day the Angelus sounded from the lit-
tle belfry ; and each time the beaders of moccasins and
the tillei-s of corn-fields, the hunter starting out with
his weapons or bringing in the trophies of the chase,
the children, the warriors, and the wrinkled squaws
bowed their heads in prayer. They knew the Angelus
l)y heart, and said it faithfully. Kateri knew this and
more. She had already learned the Litanies of the
Blessed Mother, and recited them at night. All carried
the rosary, wearing it around their necks, or wound
about the head like a coronet. Hers was oftenest in

'^SSmi Sm

202

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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I ' if

her hands. These Indians understood only their owit
language ; but the ordinary prayers were all translated,
for them from the French or Latin, into Iroquois^
Father Cholenec, to whose care Kateri Tekakwitha had;
been so particularly commended, watched lier actions
closely during the first few months of her life at the-
Sault. He was the one to decide how soon she should
be peimitted to receive communion, — a decision of
great importance to the happiness of Kateri. To gain
this prvilege, she had nerved herself to undergo threats,,
privations, and persecutions, and had become an exile ;.
now she cared for nothing so much in all the world as
to hasten, by every means in her power, the long-looked-
for day of her first communion.

Aftei commenting on her attendance at the daily
Masses and her morning devotions, Cholenec speaks or
her as follows : —

"During the course of the day she from time to time
broke off from her work to go and hold communion with.
Jesus Christ at the foot of the altar. In the evening she-
returned again to the church, and did not leave it until
the night was far advanced. When engaged in her prayers,
she seemed entirely unconscious of what was passing about,
her • and in a short time the Holy Spirit raised her to so
sublime a devotion that she often spent many hours in
intimate communion with God.

" To this inclination for prayer she joined an almost unceas-
ing application to labor. . . . She always ended the week
by an exact investigation of her faults and imperfections,,
that she might efface them by the sacrament of penance,
which she underwent every Saturday evening. For this she-
prepared herself by different mortifications with which shd:

AT THE SAULT ST. LOUIS.

2oa

afflicted her body ; and when she accused herself of faults^
even the most light, it was with such vivid feelings of com^
punction that she shed tears, and her words were choked by
sighs and sobbings. The lofty idea she had of the majesty
of God made her regard the least offence with horror ; and
when any had escaped her, she seemed not able to pardou
herself for its commission.

" Virtues so marked did not permit me for a very long^
time to refuse her the permission which she so earnestly
desired, that ou the approaching festival of Christmas she
should receive her first communion. This is a privilege
which is not accorded to those who come to reside among the
Iroquois, until after some years of probation and many trials ;
but the piety of Katherine placed her beyond the ordinary
rules. She participated, for the first time in her life, in the
Holy Euaharist, with a degret of fervor proportioned to thfr
reverence she had for this grace, and the earnestness with
which she had desired to obtain it."

She made her communion on Christmas day. Her
fervor did not slacken afterward. Whenever there
was a general communion among the Indians at the
Sault, the most virtuous neophytes endeavored with
emulation to be near her, because, said they, the sight
alone of Kateri served them as an excellent preparation
for communing worthily. She was allowed to make
her second communion at Easter time. Father Fremin^
her former guest of the Mohawk Valley, soon admitted
her, without the customary delay, into the Confraternity
of the Holy Family. This honor was accorded only to^
well-tried and thoroughly instructed Christians. The
meetings of the Confraternity filled up the hours of
each Sunday afternoon, and the members of it were

jjjiiM-awi i

204

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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expected to reproduce in their own homes, as far as
possible, the family life of the three who dwelt together
in the Holy House at Nazareth, — Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph. Saint Joseph was held up as a model for the
men, the Blessed Virgin for the women, and the child
Jesus for the children.

Kateri had no sorrows at this time save one,
which was that her nearest kindred still rejected and
scorned the faith that was dearer to her than life.
The ties of blood are strong in a noble heart. Anasta-
sia, her own good friend and instructress, was there at
the Sault ; the adopted sister was there, a relative in
name if nothing more ; the " great Mohawk " was there,
and he was a host in himself. But after all, what a
handful were these compared to the brave men and
women of her tribe in the Mohawk Valley, — those who
had shared in the defence of Caughnawaga Castle
against the Mohegans, and who still dwelt in her
native land, and were bound to her by so many ties !
Her uncle, her kindred, her nation, were against her
in her Christian faith ; and the struggle that wrung
her own heart foreshadowed a great struggle that was
yet to come between the haughty nations of the Iro-
quois League and their exiled Christian tribesmen,—
one that would make martyrs, glorious Iroquois martyrs.
At Onondaga, the capital of the League, it was indeed
proved, in course of time, that these children of the
forest could give up their lives as nobly as the early
Christians who were torn to pieces in the Amphitheatre
at Kome.

With sympathetic insight, Kateri felt the gathering
storm. She foresaw it more or less clearly from the

AT THE SAULT ST. LOUIS.

205

far as
ogether
ry, and
for the
e child

/e one,
ted and
an life.
Anasta-
there at
ative in
IS there,
what a
len and
lose who
I Castle
in her
Qy ties !
inst her
b wrung
that was
the Iro-
smen, —
martyrs.
s indeed
1 of the
he early
bitheatre

first. And as if in anticipation of what was in store
for the Christian Iroquois, her short life at the Sault
became, as we shall see, a holocaust of prayer and self-
torture. It must be remembered that in her day the
laws of hygiene were not made prominent and taught
to the young people as they are now ; nor were tlie
missionaries in authority over her aware at the time
of all her practices, which their wise counsels might
have better directed. So Kateri, unchecked, passed
her life at the Sault in a ceaseless, tireless effort to lift
her nature high above the lawless passions to which the
people of her race were subject. For their sins and for
her own she suffered and prayed. Five times a day she
knelt in the mission chapel and pleaded with God for
the infidel Indians, her friends and her kindred.

What wonder, then, that after her life on earth was
ended, and her life with Christ began, the Christian
Indians should continue even till now to think of her
as interceding with God in their behalf !

gathering
from the

IBS

206

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER XVIII.

t ^

*^l

THE HUNTING-CAMP.

KATERI came to Canada when the woods were
rich in color, but now the winter had set in.
The Christmas ceremonies are over at the Mission of
!^ , Francois Xavier du Sault, and the village is almost
deserted. The Fathers are indeed there, — Fremin,Chol-
enec, and Chauchetifere ; but they lead a quiet, studious
life in the absence of their spiritual children. The
snow lies heavy on the gi'ound, and only a few stray
Indians occupy the desolate cabins. What has become
of the zealous band of Christian Iroquois that so lately
dwelt there, answering every call of the chapel bell,
and chanting back and forth at the daily Mass ? Have
the Fathers lost their dusky flock ? Will they ever come
back ? They have gone far into the heart of the forest,
but the blackgowns have no fear. They will all return
-at Easter time, and the chapel will ring again with the
sound of their voices ; the men in motley attire will
•gather on one side of the aisle, and the women shrouded
in their blankets on the other.

The Indians of the Sault have no thought as yet of
giving up their forest life, nor do the missionaries ask
it of them. Food becomes scarce as the snow deepens,
so they depart with their women and children to some
:good hunting-ground and locate a camp for the winter

i-:iE HU.<TING-CAMP.

207

were
d set in.
ission of
IS almost
lin, Choi-
studious
3n. The
ew stray
3 become
so lately
ipel bell,
? Have
ver come
he forest,
ill return
with the
ttire will
shrouded

as yet of
laries ask
' deepens,
I to some
he winter

months. They like this sojourn in the forest. The free-
•dom from restraint accords well with their wild tastes
and old habits of life. But Kateri would willingly have
stayed in the village if her sister had favored such an
arrangement. She knows the life of the hunting-camp
right well. She has been on these expeditions before
with her aunts in the Mohawk country. Among these
Christians it must of course be difterent from the life
•she led in the camp at Saratoga; and so it is. The
<logiques go with the mission Indians to the forest, and
-during the time of the hunt they retain, as far as possi-
ble, the religious exercises of the Sault. They call the
Indians together for morning and evening prayers, and
a spirit of sobriety and good order prevails. This is in
marked contrast to the excesses indulged in by the
pagan Mohawks at their hunting-camps, where they
generally take a keg or more of Fort Orange liquor to
keep them warm.

The Canadian winter seems bitter cold to Kateri.
This band of Indians from the mission are camping
northward of the Adirondacks ; but most of them are
used to the frosty atmosphere, and have made them-
selves quite cosey and comfortable in their hunting-
lodges of bark and close-woven boughs. They have a
full supply of furs and skins to wrap about them or to
hang over the openings and cracks in their temporary
houses. Kateri is poorer than the rest in this respect,
for she has no hunter to provide these things for her.
Her brother-in-law is willing to do what he can ; but he
has a large family of his own, and is not as active in
the chase as formerly, being past middle age. There
«re enough young hunters among the relatives and

If--

208

KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

friends of the venerable Anastasia to provide her with
all she needs. The elder woman would gladly have
made a match between Kateri and one of these young
braves, but the least allusion to such a thing annoys
Kateri. The girl never complains of the cold, but
Anastasia can see that though closely enveloped in her
blanket, she is not so warmly clothed as the rest. She
has spoken to her seveml times of the advantages of the
married state. On one occasion she pressed the matter
so far that Kateri, from a spirit of mischievous fun
rather than ill-humor, retorted by telling Anastasia that
she had better marry again herself, if she thought so
much of marriage. As for her, if they could convince
her that marriage was necessary to salvation, she would
embrace it, but she doubted much if there were not
something more perfect She did not see the necessity
of it in her case, as she could provide for her own wants,
by the labor of her hands. If this Mohawk maiden had
known anything about convent life, she would soon
have discovered that she had a vocation for it, and
would have become a nun. But thus far no Indian had
ever taken the vows, and Anastasia could not under-
stand why Kateri should not marry, as she was now
more than twenty years old. There was no denying,
however, that she did add very much to the resources
of the family, and to the general comfort of the lodge
by her industry and dexterity at every kind of Indian
handicraft practised by the women. Had she been less
generous in giving, and preferred to bargain away what
jhe made, she would soon have grown rich in wampum
money on account of her skill, and then she could have
bought all the furs she needed. But having no fear of

M ,

THE HUNTING-CAMP.

20U

poverty, she worked freely for all, and so was always
poor. She kept only what was necessary for her own
support. She was luver a burden to those with whom
she dwelt. On the contrary, she helped to enrich them
while denying herself everything but a bare subsistence.
She often fasted till evening even when hard at work,
and then, if unobserved, would mingle ashes with her
food, that it might be devoid of everything that could
alford pleasure to the taste.

It may be well to describe the way in which she
spends her day at the hunting-camp. The women are
supposed to have a very easy time in the forest, whereas
the men have hard work. They are gone all day long,
tracking animals over the snow and into their burrows.
It is when the hunters come in bringing their game,
and drop off to sleep from sheer exhaustion, that the
task of the women begins, for they have to prepare the
flesh of the animals for food, and take care of the skins.
But this done, they have plenty of time left for gossip
and fancy-work. When they are in the village, they
have m'^re of household cares to fill up each day, be-
sides working in the fields and attending daily services
at the chapel. If these women all followed the example
of Kateri while in the forest, they would have fewer
sins to confess when they go back to the village at
Easter time.

The quiet retreat which Kateri has chosen for herself
is near the pathway leading to the stream, and made
by the women of the hunting-camp in tramping back
and forth for water. There, in her rustic oratory, she
is accustomed to kneel amid the snow. She does not
raise her head except to look at the cross she has cut

.lA.

210

KATEIil TEKAKWITHA.

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lit

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on the trunk of a tree. Her hands are crossed on her
breast, and her blanket hangs loosely down from her
head and shoulders in many a careless fold. The rivulet
close beside her is crusted with ice, and the bushes are
heavy with snow. The water runs freely and swiftly a
little beyond her where there is a break in the line of
bushes along the brink of the stream. They have been
thrust aside, and the snow has fallen from them. Here
it is that the women come to dip water for the camp.
Kateri was there in the morning, and among the very
first. She helped to prepare the breakfast for the hunt-
ers. She was present also at the morning prayers
which were said in common. It was not until the men
were busily engaged in eating a meal that would last
them the greater part of the day, and the women, with
nothing special to do, were hovering about seeking a
chance to join in the good cheer and see the hunters
off, that Kateri slipped away, ani now is hiding among
the trees, as though she were nothing else than a little
white rabbit that makes his home in a snow-bank. One
would scarcely notice the print of her moccasins where
she passed along by the bushes. The snow is tufty and
light. The long, low branches of Kateri's tree — the one
on which she has marked the cross — are bowed with
its weight. They aln^ost touch the ground, and shelter
her motionless figure on the side towards the moccasin-
trail that leads to the water's edge. Little wavy lines
on either side of the interlacing footprints of the women
show ^ rhere their blankets and skirts with shaggy fringe
disturbed the even surface of the new-fallen snow as
they passed along. Kateri brushed away the freshest
of the snowy mass in front of her cross, before she be-

1^1

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THE IIUNTING-CAMP.

211

gan her prayers. She kneels on the hard-packed suow
that is fast frozen to the ground. Her figure is sharply
outlined against a little white mound of feathery flakes.
Her thoughts are many miles away, though her eyes
are fixed on the cross, which is suddenly lit up by
a flash from the rising sun. She knows that the mo-
ment has come for Mass to begin in the village chapel
at the great rapid of the St. Lawrence. In spirit she
kneels with the few who are gathered there, and follows
the Mass from beginning to end with appropriate
prayers. She begs her guardian angel to fly away to
the chapel and bring her back the fruits of the sacrifice
there being offered.

She will need the good spirit at her side more when
the morning meal is over and plenty of fuel has been
gathered in to keep the fires burning all day long. Tlien
she will sit among the women, whose tongues are ever
on the go, and whose hands are busy embroidering elk-
skin belts and making little ornaments of various kinds.
Kateri is able to give them many suggestions about
their work. They often interrupt her with questions
concerning the stitches and coloi'S. The task she has
set for herself while at the camp is of a more uu isual
kind than theirs. She is making wooden pack-pins and
two ingenious boxes or chests from the wood of a tree.
Her sister greatly admires these boxes, and would like
to be able to make them as well herself. Kat^ri's good
angel whispers to her, when the gossip reaches its high-
est point, and prompts her to ask a maiden beside her
who has the sweetest of voices to sing an Iroquois
bymn. Soon the tide of the women's talk is turned, and
they are telling one another stories from the lives of the

212

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

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EUir

F 'J, I ■

saints. These they have learned from the Fathers, or
heard at the conferences in the village. Kateri has
been gleaning them all along in her talks with Anas-
tasia. As told by the women at the hunting-cauip, these
edifying stories brought over from old Europe gain
rather than loso in picturesqueness of detail. It would
puzzle many of these Indians to know just how it comes
about, but in some way whenever Kateri sits among
them they seem to forget their neighbors' faults, and be-
gin to talk of people who delighted in doing unselfish
or heroic deeds. Little by little their thoughts drift off
to a better world, and their fingers move all the faster
for it. There is more of work going on and less noise
of chattering tongues. When the shadows gather about
them, they scatter well pleased with themselves and the
work of the day. They assemble again when the hunt-
ers are all in and the last meal of the day is over. The
evening prayers are recited together. Then they find
their mats for the night, and drop off one by one to sleep.
But Kateri is again on her knees, and prays for herself
and for all in the silent darkness ; and thus while the
others are dreaming of beaver and marten, of venison
and captured game, she is thinking only of how to
please God. But one thing is certain : were she to eat
more, sleep sounder, and pray less, there would have
been a better promise of long life, and less occasion
to excite the suspicions of that worthy squaw whose
jealous eye is always open. Her well-meaning tongue
could give a deeper stab than any Kateri has yet had
to endure. Thus far she holds her peace well, has not
breathed a word of what is in her mind, but yet would
like to know just where the young Mohawk keeps her-

THE IIUNTlNO-C'AMr.

218

self at the times when she does not see her among the
women. This squaw found her husband sound a.sleep
one morning not far from Kateri's place in the lodge.
The hunter came in late, worn out by a long cliiiso after
a Canadian elk, and dropped to sleep in the first place
he could find, as he crept in among the prostrate, sleep-
ing Indians. He was a good man, and had never had
any misunderstanding with his wife till a strange, sud-
den notion overcame her. She was possessed with the
idea that Kateri was making mischief between herself
and her husband A second unfortunate incident which
ordinarily would have passed unnoticed served to con-
firm this woman in her suspicion. As the time ap-
proached to return to the village, her husband said one
day to the assembled women that he was working on a
canoe which would have to be stitched. Then turning
naturally enough to Kateri, whose skill with the needle
was well known, he asked her if she would not do it
for him. She had an obliging disposition, and did not
hesitate to say that she would ; but " Voilk qui donna
encore k penser!" says Chaucheti^re. He continues
thus : —

" The one who had these thoughts was wise enough not
to speak of them till she got to the village. She went to
find the Father, and told him her suspicion and the foun-
dation for her judgment. The Father, who feared much
in 80 delicate an aifair, which seemed perhaps possible
«nough, spoke to Catherine as much to question as to ex-
hort her. Whatever Catherine could say, however, she was
not entirely believed ; her instructress spoke to her also,
either to remedy the evil in case there might be any or to
prevent it. Never before did the blessed Catherine sufier

214

KATEUI TEKAKWITUA.

?5:

80 much 08 on this occasion. What grieved her was ttuit
the Father sueuied nut to believe her, and accused her uh if
she hud been guilty ; but God permitted it thus to purify
her virtue, fur nothing remained to so virtuuus a girl, after
leaving her country, her relutiour, and all the cumfurts she
might have found in a guod marriage, which she could not
have failed to niuke if she wished, — nothing more remained
for her to do than to practise abnegation in her honor, and
to retain not a particle of rancor. . . . She said only what
was necessary to make known the truth, and said not the
least thing that could make it appear that she was displeased
with any one of those who were with her at the chase."

In the end her remarkable patience and her silence
helped to vindicate her in this severest trial of her life.
Compared to it, the lying tale of her malicious aunt was
as nothing, for no one had believed what she said. In
this case it was very different; and Kateri, unable to
defend herself against the plausible suspicion of this
woman, could only live down the calumny as bravely
as possible, leaving God to clear her memory of every
shadow of a doubt, as he would not fail to do in time.
The good man who was accused with her never before
or after gave his wife any occasion to complain of him.
She became convinced that her own jealousy had led
her into error ; when Kateri was dead, she who had done
the mischief could never speak of her without weeping
to think how needlessly she had wronged and grieved
her. But who can ever heal the wound of a recklesa
tongue ? Alas that the Lily of the Mohawks, " the
fairest flower that ever bloomed among the redmen,"
should have been thus accused ! One result of this
affair was Kateri's resolve never again to exchange the

;.']

THK IIUNTINO-CAMI*.

215

life of the village for thut of the huntiiig-cam|), uvea
at the cost of starvutiou.

Not loug after the Indians returned to the mission,
the cereinoni«!s of Holy Week began in the chapel at
the Sault. Kateri had never witnessed them before.
She was deeply impressed and almost overpowered
with emotion as the divine tragedy of Calvary un-
rolled itself before her. It was brought to her mind
by degrees with every detail in the dai y services, cul-
minating on Good Friday, with mournful chants, the
broken, mutilated Mass of the prophecies, and the
slow unveiling of the crucifix.

These ceremonies of Holy Week, together with the
fervent words of the missionaries who, like the first
preachers of Christianity, spoke to the people in their
"own tongues the wonderful works of God," made a
profound impression on all the Indians of the Praying
Castle. As the bells of Holy Saturday rang in the news
of the resurrection, their joy broke forth into song. A
thrill of emotion stirred the throng. Happy tears were
in Kateri's eyes. On Easter Sunday the swell of glad
Iroquois voices, singing from their inmost souls, wafted
her responsive spirit to the opened gates of Paradise.

216

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

CHAPTER XIX.

KATERI'S FFIEND, — IH^R^SE TECAIAGUENTA.

A JOY was in store for Kateri Tekakwitha that
would remain until the end of her life. No
greater blessing can Heaven send us than a friend whose
heart responds to our own in closest sympathy, and to
whom we can unfold the hidden places of our soul with
no fear of betrayal.

Had Kateri failed to find such a heart-friend before
she died, we should never have learned what a wealth
of strong human love and a craving for human compan-
ionship had been growing up within her through the
lonely years she had lived until now.

Never before had she greater need of a friend to sus-
tain her; never before had she been so cruelly mis-
trusted as on her return from the hunting-camp.

The gift of God was ready. The friend was close at
hand ; but tlie knowledge of this was kept from Kateri,
until her desolate heart, turned in on itself, could find
no refuge except in the bitterest self-condemnation.
Knowing the goodness of God and finding herself un-
satisfied at heart, she could find no reason for it ex-
cept by magnifying her slightest faults into a dreadful
wickedness for which she needed punishment. This
tendency of her mind was encouraged constantly by
Anastasia's instructions and exhortations. They were

KATERI'S FRIEND.

217

ivell-intentioned and suitable enough for lawless and
passionate natures, but too severe for the pure and sen-
sitive soul of Katerl The suffering that comes not from
€vil doing or thinking, but rather from well-meaning
bluntness, can easily be utilized and undone in the far-
reaching plans of God. Kateri's cruel self-reproach can-
not be looked upon as a useless pain when we see how
it pierced another heart, and bounded back to her own
richly freighted with new-found friendship and much-
needed, noble companionship.

What are Kateri Tekakwitha andThdi^se Tegaiaguenta
<ioing there by the new stone chapel ? Why do they
43tand apart in the life-giving sunlight ? Why do they
not speak to each other? Can it be that thay have
never before met ? Both belong to the Praying Castle ;
both are Christians, both are Iroquois. Kateri came from
the Mohawk country before the snow had fallen. Now
it has melted away ; the grass is green. Mount Royal,
La Prairie, the village, the woods, the waters, are bathed
in sunshine. The river is roaring and rushing tumultu-
ously with the added wealth of the spring-time freshets.
The mission chapel is nearly completed. The stones are
all in place, and the roof has been reared. Kateri com-
pares it, no doubt, with the Dutch church at Fort Orange,
the most imposing structure of the kind she has ever
Lad a chance to see. We need not ask her whether she
prefers the bright little weather-cock there, or the cross
on the belfry here ; for we know how she cut the cross
in the bark of a forest-tree, and how she carries it day
by day buried deep in her heart.

Thdrfese sees Kateri, and wonders what she is thinking
about. Th^rfese has the dress and the look of an Oneida.

218

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

'$'1

Her glance is freer and bolder than Kateri's. She is
older and not so shy, and has seen the sunshine and
shadow of twenty-eight summers. Health and beauty
and vigor attend on the young Oneida ; but all at once
her face grows thoughtful and sad. The chill of a terri-
ble winter comes up from the past, and strikes on her
heart as she watches the face of Kateri, so quiet and so-
collected. It was only an idle curiosity that brought her
to look at the building ; but now she is led by a strange
attraction, and follows the Mohawk girl as she enters,
the chapel. The Hoor has recently been laid, and a
man is at work on the wainscoting round the wall. No
benches or seats are yet to be seen, nor any kind of
divisions. Kateri turns to Th^rese, and gives her an
Iroquois greeting. She is about to ask a question.
The Oneida returns the salutation graciously, and a
conversation begins in two slightly different dialects.
Though one is using the Mohawk language and one
the Oneida, they understand each other perfectly. Kateri
asks Thdrfese if she knows which portion of the church
will be set apart for the women. Therfese points out
to her the place where she thinks they will be, and
the conversation continues. It is all about the new
building in which they are standing. Their thoughts
chime well together ; but Kateri, whose mind, as she
came from Anastasia's cabin and wandered into the
chapel, was dwelling less on what she actually saw
before her than on her own internal wretchedness
and unworthiness, suddenly exclaims, with a heavy
sigh : " Alas ! it is not in this building of wood and
stone that God most loves to dwell. Our hearts are
the lodge that is most pleasing to him. But, miserable

KATERI'S FRIEND.

219

creature that I am, how many times have I forced him
to leave this heart in which he should reign alone !
Do I not deserve that to punish me for my ingratitude,
they should forever exclude me from this church, which
they are raising to his glory ? "

These words, with their spiritual thought and beau-
tiful imagery, came rolling from the tongue of the
Mohawk girl with all the eloquence of tone and gesture
flo natural to her race. They were spoken, too, with an
added force that belongs only to the utterance of those
who live in habitual silence concerning their inward
life. Th^rfese could not look upon them as a mere
language of the lips, for she saw, as she watched the
face of her companion, that the last words came like a
sob from her veiy heart. They echoed strangely in her
own soul. Her past life, that terrible winter in the
woods, her vow to Heaven unfulfilled, conscience,
remorse, an impulse of love and sympathy for the
one who thus wailed out her sorrow in a direct appeal
to her, — all this, and more disturbed the soul of Thd-
rfese. She looked at Kateri, and then at the new-laid
planks on the chapel floor. Her tongue was silent, but
her eyes spoke out in a single glance, and said to the
Mohawk girl, " If you only knew — if you only knew
how it is with me ! " And these were the words that
she seemed to be reading along the boards that lay
close to her feet : " She is better than I, or she would
not speak like that. She can help me. God has
sent her here. I will tell her what I have promised
and left undone. She thinks she is wicked. I don't
believe it ; I want her to be my friend." She lifted her
eyes again, and in a few quick words opened her heart

220

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

(55

'1 m

■■■■■■-iM'

fii:

« MM',

'it?'?:

■ifi ->>i'i -

to Katerl ** Insensibly the conversation led them,"
says Cholenec, "to disclose to each other their most
secret thoughts. To converse with greater ease, they
went and sat at the foot of a cross which was erected
on the banks of the river." There, where the cross
still stands as of old, near the great rapid, Th^rfese told
Kateri the story of her life ; and there their souls were
knit together in a friendship that would outlast death
and time. Th^i^se became a part of Kateri, and Kateri
of Thdrfese. Henceforth they were two souls leading but
one life. The history of one is the history of the other,
except that Kateri was necessarily, though often un-
consciously, the leading spirit.

But what was the life of Th^rfese Tegaiagu€lnta before
she met her guiding spirit, and linked her soul to the
soul of the Lily ? What were the sins for which she
resolved to do penance together with Kateri ? What
was the story she told, as they sat on the grassy bank
at the foot of the tall wooden cross ? The gloom of the
evening fell about them before they could separate.
When at last they turned their faces from the great
river, and bent their footsteps toward the cluster of
Iroquois lodges near the Portage, Kateri had learned
much of what here follows concerning the life of her
friend, and many secrets of her heart which have never
been recorded.

Th^rfese was baptized by Father Bruyas in the Oneida
country. When that missionary first arrived among her
people, he converted Kateri Ganneaktena, who served
as interpreter while he was learning the language, and
who afterwards with her husband went to Canada and
founded the Praying Castle at La Prairie. Tegaiaguenta,

■-iij

KATERFS FIIIEND.

221

like Ganneaktena, was a young married woman when
Bruyas converted and baptized her. She had been
united to an Oneida brave after the Iroquois fashion, but
unlike Ganneaktena, she did not succeed in converting
her husband. On the contrary, she herself was led
away by the force of evil example about her, and almost
lost her Christian faith.

In the history of the Iroquois missions it is related
that a certain brave Christian woman literally fought
with tooth and nail to keep some of her intidel tribes-
men from pouring fire-water down her throat. If they
succeeded in making any of the Christians drunk, they
often managed to win them away from the influence of
the blackgowns.

Th^r^se, less resolute than Ganneaktena and the
woman just mentioned, fell a victim to this persistent
policy of the infidel Indians. After her baptism they
beguiled her into the prevailing sin of intoxication, for
which she afterwards shed bitter tears and suffered
many self-inflicted torments in company with Kateri.

Before she could be fitted, however, for the friendship
of so pure a soul as that of the Mohawk girl, she had
to pass a teiTible ordeal. "When she left the Oneida
country and went to live at the Praying Castle with her
husband's family, only a partial change was brought
about in her lax, easy-going life; for Th^rfese Tegaia-
guenta, though capable of deep religious convictions, had
an impulsive, pleasure-loving nature, very different from
the reserved, self-sacrificing spirit of Kateri. The Lily
of the Mohawks, from the first moment of her life, had
never ceased to be attentive to the lightest whisper of
divine grace. Tegaiaguenta could not be brought to

222

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

> .■.;*|'S,i' I

4 ■ ■■

1 ,

[

■

1 :

listen to this voice till it spoke to her through the gaunt
lips of bereavement and starvation. Then she forgot it
again, till suddenly she recognized its echo in the looks
and words of Kateri, when she met her at the chapel.
The following is a brief account of the strange winter
adventure of Th^rfese Tegaiaguenta in the woods of
Canada, as told by Cholenec : —

''She had gone with her husband and a young nephew
to the chase, near the river of the Outaouacks [Ottawas].
On their way some other Indians joined them, and they
made a company of eleven persons, — that is, four men and
four women, with three young persons. Th^rese was the
only Christian. The snow, which this year fell very late,
prevented them from having any success in huntmg ; their
provisions were in a short time consumed, and they were
reduced to eat some skins, which they had brought with
them to make moccasins. At length they ate the moccasins
themselves, and finally pressed by hunger, were obliged to
sustain their lives principally by herbs and the bark of
trees. In the mean time the husband of Therese fell danger*
ously ill, and the hunters were obliged to halt. Two among
them, an Agnie [Mohawk] and a Tsonnontouan [Seneca],
asked leave of the party to make an excursion to some
distance in search of game, promising to return, at the far*
thest, in ten days. The Agnie, indeed, returned at the time
appointed ; but he came alone, and reported that the Tson-
nontouan had perished by famine and misery. They sus-
pected him of having murdered his companion and then
fed upon his flesh ; for although he declared that he had not
found any game, he was nevertheless in full strength and
health. A few days afterwards the husband of Therese
died, experiencing in his last moments deep regret that he
had not received baptism. The remainder of the company

KATERI'S FRIEND.

228

gaunt

then resumed their journey, to attempt to reach the bank
of the river and gain the French settlementu. After two
or three days' march, they became so enfeebled by want of
nourishment, that they were not able to advance farther.
Desperation then inspired them with a strange resolution,
which was to put some of their number to death, that the
lives of the rest might l)e preserved."

When they were eating the flesh of the first victim,
who was an old man, they asked Th^rfese if it was allow-
able to kill him, and what the Christian law said upon
that point, for she was the only one among them who
had been baptized. She dared not reply. They gave
her their reasons, which were that the old man had given
them the right that he had to his life, saying that he
would cause them a great deal of suffering on the
journey.^

The little nephew of Th^rfese had already died from
hunger and fatigue. When her husband lay at the
point of death, she and the boy had remained with him
till he breathed his last, and then she had hastened on
through the woods, carrying her nephew on her shoulder,
till she caught up with the band, who had journeyed
on in advance of her. The child died a little later, in
spite of her care ; and when the man of the party was
devoured before her eyes, misery and starvation ren-
dered her speechless. She saw that they were deter-
mined to sustain life at the expense of those among
them who were unable to resist.

"They, therefore, selected the wife of the Tsonnontouan
f Seneca] and her two chUdren, who were thus in succession
devoured. This spectacle terrified Th^rese, for she had good

1 See Chaucheti^re, livre ii. chapitre 2.

224

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

reason to fear the same treatment. Then she reflected on
the deplorable state in which conscience tuld her she was ;
she repented bitterly that she had ever entered the forest
without having first purihed herself by a full confession;
she asked pardon of God for the disorders of her life, and
pro^uBed to confess as soon as possible and undergo penance.
Her prayer was heard, and after incredible fatigues sh&
reached the village with four others, who alone remained
of the company. She did, indeed, fulfil one part of the
promise, for she confessed soon after her return ; but she
was more backward to reform her life and subject herself
to the rigors of penance."

This she did not undertake in earnest until she met
Kateri. From that time they were inseparable. They
went together to the church, to the forest, and to their
daily labor. They told each other their pains and dis-
likes, they disclosed their faults, they encouraged each
other in the practice of austere virtues. They agreed
that they would never marry. An accident occurred
in the early days of their friendship that gave their
thoughts at once a serious turn. One day when Kateri
was cutting a tree in the woods for fuel, it fell sooner
than she expected. She had sufficient time, by drawing
back, to shun the body of the tree, which would have
crushed her by its fall ; but she was not able to escape
from one of the branches, which struck her violently on
the head, and threw her senseless to the ground. They
thought she was dead; but she shortly aftei-ward re-
covered from her swoon, and those around her heard
her softly ejaculating, " I thank thee, good Jesus, for
having saved me in this danger." She rose as soon as
she had said these words, and taking her hatchet in her

:|||:i'?".;

KATERl'S FRIEND.

225

sted on
le was;
B forest
fession;
ife, and
enance.
Lies she
imained

of tb©
but she

herself

}he met
They
to their
and dis«
ed each
• agreed
)ccurred
ire their
1 Kateri
1 sooner
drawing
lid have
o escape
ently on
I. They
ward re-
er heard
Fesus, for
soon as
let in her

hand would have gone immediately to work again, if
they had not stopped her and bade her rest. She told
Th^i-^se that the idea in her mind at the time was that
God had only loaned her what still rem lined to her
of life in order that she might do penance; and that
therefore it was necessary for her to begin at once to
employ her time diligently.

Such words from such a source could not fail to stir
the zeal and emulation of her warm-hearted, impetuous
friend. Hand in hand, they now hastened to climb the
thorny path of penance, guessing eagerly where certain
information was denied them as to what might be the
perfect Christian life they were seeking so earnestly to
lead.

226

KATEHI TEKAKVVITilA.

i CHAPTER XX.

MONTREAL AND THE ISLE-AUX-H^RONS, 1678.

IT is certain that Kateii Tekakwitha visited the
French settlement on the north side of the river ;
for Cholenec thus writes: —

"While passing some days at Muntrealf where for the
first time she saw the nuns, she was so charmed with their
modesty and devotion that she informed herself most thor-
oughly with regard to the manner in which these holy sisters
lived, and the virtues which they practised."

Kateri and Th^rfese — for the two were inseparable —
with other Indians from the Sault, probably laden with
goods to barter, must have crossed over to Montreal in
canoes. They paddled out into the broad smooth waters
of the St. Lawrence below the great rapid, where the river
widens out like a lake. They left far behind them their
village, with its tall wooden cross on the river-bank, and
the wild Isle-aux-Hdrons, bearing up its sturdy clump
of foliage in the midst of the splashing foam. They
passed at a distance the Jesuit chapel at La Prairie,
where a few Frenchmen had built houses and formed
the nucleus of a settlement, and then moved quietly
and rapidly on in their light canoes until they neared
the Isle St. Paul. The southern shore of the river swept

"A I

•iK

MONTREAL IN 107a.

227

away in a great curve as they left the Sault, and the
prairie lands stretched away towards Lake Chauiplaiu,
while Mount lioyal blocked the northern horizon.
Pinally, after rounding the Isle St. Paul, they approached
near enough to the northern bunk to see where the first
French fort had been built by the Sieur de Maisouneuve
on level land at the mouth of a little stream. The
spot is now called Custom-House Square ; and the wild
Ilot Normandin has been transformed into Island Wharf.
This fort had fallen into disuse, and a second one was
built on higher ground. The great French guns that
"were ;>ointed toward the river meant no harm to the
Christian Indians, who passed safely by, and landed
on vacant ground in the rear of a cluster of fortified
buildings fronting on the Bue St. Paul This was the
principal thoroughfare of the infant city of Ville-Marie.
Every house on the island of Montreal was strongly
built for defence. Each farm in the vicinity was con-
nected with the town by a chain of redoubts. Not only
the fort and the governor's mansion, but the mills, the
brewery, the Hospital or H6tel Dieu, and the chief resi-
dences had high walls and outlying defences. These
buildings were so placed along the Rue St Paul that a
cross-fire from them and from the bastioned fort across
the little stream (which has since disappeared in the
maze of modem streets) could be maintained in a way to
render the position of the colonists impregnable against
an Indian assault. This had all been done under the
leadership of the first governor. At the time of Kateri's
visit, the chivalric De Maisonneuve had been recalled
to France, and De Courselles was Governor-General.
The Sulpicians, whose seminary was centrally located

228

KATEKl TEKAKWITUA.

> Mr

on the principal street, were lords of the seigncurie of
Montreal and could give grants of land, though the
recently arrived otlicers of the King disputed their
right to dispense justice, and to apiK>iut the governor
of Ville-Murie.

Marguerite Bourgeois was still a leading spirit iu the
colony, and was actively engaged in founding and con-
ducting her schools for the Indian and Canadian chil-
dren. Her convent of Sisters of the Congregation of
Notre Dame, after much delay and many trials, was at
last successfully established opposite the HOtel Dieu
on the Kue St. Paul. Monseigneur de Laval, Bishop of
Quebec, on his visit to Ville-Marie in 1676, had for-
mally recognised and approved her new order. There
were at tliis time ten nuns in all associated with her in
the work of teaching. They taught day-scholars free of
charge, and worked diligently out of school-hours to
support themselves. In 1657 the Sieur de Maisonneuve
had given Marguerite Bourgeois a tract of land near the
Hotel Dieu, on which was a well-built stable, which she
used for her first school-house. The classes were as-
sembled in the lower part of the building, while thia
indefatigable schoolmistress and her first assistants slept
in the loft, to which they ascended by an outside stair-
case. As her school and community increased, she built
a house that would shelter twelve persons. This also
had proved insufficient, and she was now established
in a fine lai-ge stone building, where a number of girla
were safely housed, and taught to read, write, and sew.
The King of France allowed her a certain amount each
year for the support of her Indian pupils. These were
mostly at the school of the newly founded Sulpician

MONTREAL IN 1C78.

229

mission on the mountain-side. Thoru the number of
Indians was daily increasing. M. Belmont, a Sulpiciau,
taught the boys, and two of the Congregation sisters hud
charge of the girls. Their favorite pupil, Marie Th^rese
Gannensagwas (meaning, " She takes the arm "), was in a
few years to become herself a successful teacher in the
Indian school, and a gentle, lovable nun. At this time
she was about eleven years old. When still younger,
she had come with her aged grandfather from the Seneca
country. He was a Christian, having been baptized in
the Huron country by the great missionary Brebeuf. The
little Gannensagwas was adopted by Governor de Cour-
aelles, and placed under the care of Marguerite Bourgeois
in the convent on the Rue St. Paul. When the school
at the Mountain was opened, in 1676, she was sent
there. In one or other of these two places she spent
the remainder of her life, as pupil, novice, and then
schoolmistress. Her memory has sometimes been con-
fused with that of Kateri Tekakwitha, though she was
ten years younger than the Mohawk, and led a very
different sort of life. Gannensagwas grew up, lived and
died in a convent, and was the first real Indian nun.
A tablet to her memory is preserved in one of the towers
of the old fort at the mission on Mount Eoyal. This
stone tower stands in the same enclosure with the costly
modern buildings of the Sulpicians in a beautiful part
of the present city of Montreal. At the time of Kateri's
Tisit, however, this same tower and fort was in the
"woods ; for the buildings of the old town extended no
farther from the river than the Rue St. Jacques. From
there to the Indian schools of the Mountain was a lonely
Toad leading past a solitary fortified farm belonging to the

230

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

1 '"^

'»f

' K':

I :%:-■

Sulpicians, — La ferme St. Gabriel It was there that a
priest, M. Le Maistre, had been tomahawked, in August^
1661. He was on guard while the laborers gathered in
the harvest. His tragic death warned them to withdraw
at once from the fields, and defend themselves within
the farm-house. Such incidents as th^ii were then fresh
in the minds of the people, and gave pathetic interest
to many a spot near Ville-Marie.

In 1678 Rue Notre Dame was a new street, not yet
built up, and the foundations of the parish church were
uncompleted; but already the H6tel Dieu had a long
history. Just five years had passed since Mademoiselle
Manse, the former friend of Marguerite Bourgeois, and
the one who founded the HStel Dieu and brought the
hospital nuns from France to conduct it, had been laid
to rest. She died in 1673. Her last request was that
her body might be buried at the H6tel Dieu, and her
heart be placed under the sanctuary lamp in the new
church of the parish.* It was but right that this should
be done, for she had given her whole life to founding
not only the hospital but the city and colony at Mount
Royal. Till the new church of Notre Dame should be
finished, the heart of the brave lady, encased in a metal
vase, was hung in the chapel of the Hotel L'3U. It waa
there for many years ; but the building oi the church
was delayed so long that the transfer of the precious,
deposit never took place. The relic was lost at the
time of a fire that destroyed the old chapel and hospital

* The parish church of Notre Dame, with its two square towers, is
often called by mistake the Cathedral. This title belongs to St. Peter's,
— a more modem stmcture, with a great dome shaped like that of St.
Peter's at Rome.

MONTREAL IN 1678.

231

in 1695. Kateri may have seen the metal vase in the
chapel of the hospital, but could scarcely have had time
to learn its significance. Mademoiselle Manse had ful-
filled a twofold task. She had distributed guns and am-
munition to the colonists, and had nursed the wounded
soldiers and Indians. Her life was often in danger. At
times she was quite alone in the hospital. Her courage,
enthusiasm, and womanly care for the sick and suffering
were a mainstay of the colony, all through what has well
been called its heroic age. Founded in a spirit of reli-
gious zeal for the conversion of the savages, its struggle
for existence in a wild country oi' warring races fills up
a strange and interesting chapter in early American his-
tory. Quebec, Three Rivers, and Montreal were for a long
time the only settlements of any consequence iu Canada.
Quebec was the great stronghold and starting-point of
French trade and colonization. There too the Jesuit
missionaries had their headquarters, and sent their re-
ports, which were combined into the famous " Relations,"
so valuable now as history. Three Rivers, the next im-
portant trading-post, was a long stride up the St Law-
rence and into the wilderness. There, as elsewhere, the
French sought to share their faith with the Indians.
Kateri's Algonquin mother, it will be remembered, had
been baptized at Tliree Rivers before her capture by the
Iroquoia Beyond that point no permanent settlers had
ventured until Montreal, the strange, solitary island city,
was established for no other purpose than to convert the
redmen to Christianity. The whole plan was made in
France by a company of devout and wealthy persons.
Two of the leading spirits, not yet mentioned, were M.
Olier, an ecclesiastic, and M. de la Dauversi^re, a pious

232

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

is'Si'

layman. The site for the city was chosen, and the
island bought, by men who had no practical knowledge
of the country. It was far inland, and dependent en-
tirely on its own resources when the Indians were at
war. The people of Quebec did not always know whether
Montreal existed or not, so beset were its inhabitants at
times by the unconverted, warlike kindred of KaterL
The raids of the Mohawks were checked by De Tracy,
in 1666 ; but after all, they were only one of five un-
friendly nations who were liable to brandish the toma-
hawk at any time against the French. In 1678 there
was a general peace along the whole line, except fot
local and religious persecutions, such as Kateri had
endured before coming to the Sault.

The worst days for Montreal had been about twenty
years before, when their allies the Hurons were annihi-
lated as a nation by the terrible Iroquois. At that time
the French lived in a whirlwind of war and havoc. The
remnant of Hurons that remained with them after the
war, were gathered together in the mission village of
Lorette near Quebec. Sillery, in the same vicinity,
was a settlement of the Christian Algonquins. In
Kateri's time these two missions nestled under the
protecting guns of Quebec ; just as the Indians of the
Praying Castle where Kateri lived, and the Iroquois of
the Sulpician mission on the slope of Mount Koyal,
felt bound to maintain a close friendship for defence, as
well as through inclination, with their French neighbors
at Montreal. The people of the Sault and the people
of the Mountain were always welcomed and graciously
received by the colonists of Ville-Marie There were
many things for them to see and learn there ; but if the

MONTREAL IN 1678.

233

the

Hotel Dieu and the convent were at one end of the
town, th'^ brewery and the fort were at the other, and
on the whole the Jesui Fathers at the Sault liked it
better when their Indians stayed at the mission. The
tmder of Montreal was much the same sort of man as
the trader of Fort Orange. The early colonial town of
the Frenchman, however, differed in many respects
from the town of the Dutchman. It will be interesting,
therefore, to follow Kateri as she leaves her canoe on
the pebbly shore, and wander with her through the
strange, new streets of the Canadian town, just as we
followed her uncle long ag"? on his journey to Albany
on the shore of the Hudson. His pack of beaver-skins
was examined and handled by the well-to-do traders
of Handelaer Street. So do the companions of Kateri
dispose of their Indian wares with equal ease in the
long and important Eue St. Paul Like the Dutch
thoroughfare, it runs parallel with the river; all the
<lwellings on one side have their backs turned to the
water, but their gardens do not extend all the way to
the water's edge, as at Albany ; there are vacant build-
ing lots in the rear on the river-bank.

" The houses built of wood, piice sur piece, or of rounded
pebbles stuck together with cement, are all in the same
«tyle, — a rectangle covered with a steep roof slightly over-
topped by the stone chimney ; two skylights to admit light
into the garret on the long sides ; a door set between two
windows, and the walls pierced with loop-boles for defence
against the Iroquois. The interior is not less simple, — one
large hall where all the family live, as in Bretagne ; a bed or
lounge, a sort of long coffer or chest with a cover that is
opened out in the evening, into which a mattress is spread.

234

KATERI T£KAKWITHA.

and where the children sleep ; some chairs or small benches ;
the extra clothing and the gun, hung up on the wall" ^

This extra clothing was as unpretentious in style as-
the dwelling. A plain woollen garment, with capot, gir>
die, and tuque, was the uniform of the Canadian colonist.
Even the first governor, Sieur de Maisonneuve, wore it
the greater part of the year, except on state occasions.
Of course, in the hottest weather this warm outer gar-
ment was exchanged for a cooler shirt and a broad*^
brimmed hat ; then the woollen coats with snow-shoes
and other winter belongings of the settler were hung on.
pegs against the wall.

The home-trained garrison of Montreal felt proud
to hear the Viceroy de Tracy call them his "capots.
bleus," for they knew right well he could scarcely havft
triumphed over the Mohawks without their assistance.
His veterans, scarred in the Turkish wars, were indeed,
a sorry sight to behold on the expedition of 1666, whea
they stumbled about in the snow, and lost their way in
the forest of northern New York. Kateri remembered
these soldiers well. She saw them in her childhood^
when they were enemies and invaders of her home, and
so she did not care to see them again. A glance at th&
fort and the fortified houses, the mills, the governor's
house, and the seminaire was enough for her. Already
she stood at the comer of the Rue St. Paul and the
Bue St Joseph. If she chose to follow up the latter
street, it would take her to the great square where the
foundations of the new church of Notre Dame had been

1 Histoire et Vie de M. Paul de Chotnedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve^
1640-1672, par P. Rousseau.

)enoheB ;

style as-
pot, gir-
colonist,
wore it
casions>
iter gar-
broad-
)w-shoe&
hung on.

i proud
" capots.
ely havft
isistance.
e indeed.
56, whea
r way in.
lembered
liildhoody.
ome, and.
ce at th&
ovemor's
Already
and the
he latter
^here the
had beea

aiaonneaye^

MONTREAL IN 1678.

235

laid. But the chapel of the Hotel Dieu was right be-
fore her, and she entered there. The hospital Sisters
were chanting their office behind a wooden grating.
Why were they out of sight ? What did it all mean ?
She questioned her comrades, and they told her what
little they them«>elves knew about the nuns. Not con-
tent with visiting the chapel, they gained permission
to enter the hospital. What Kateri saw at the entrance
on the Hue St Paul was a great, heavy wooden door»
opening into a small building. Behind this was a large
enclosure or yard surrounded by a high stockade wall
for defence, and containing several buildings, mostly of
wood and somewhat out of repair. The hospital Sisters>
though chiefly of noble rank, were poorly lodged and
suffered many privations. The hospital was endowed
by a lady of fortune in Paris, but it had been built and
equipped under the eyes of Mademoiselle Manse, who
cared for the sick herself till the Sisters came from
France. After that she had dwelt close by them, and
continued in charge of their financial affairs until her
death. The nuns possessed some cows and other
domestic animals. There was also a little bakery in
one part of the enclosure. In another place Soeur de
Br^soles had a garden marked off, where she cultivated
medicinal drugs. It was all very simple and primitive,
but strange and marvellous to the eyes of Kateri She
saw how good the Sisters were to the sick, and how
simply and poorly they lived themselves. Their own
beds were in a rough attic above the wards for the sick.
Their linen was spotless, but the observant Kateri could
not fail to see that their dresses were patched in many
placed. Though each of these ladies brought a dot

236

KATEBI TEKAKWITUA.

I f:

i ! <

with her to the convent when she entered the order in
France, they were often left with no resources save
what their own industry brought them in the wilds of
Canada, and even the hospital fund was lost to them
through bad management over the sea ; but no misfor-
tune could daunt them in their work of curing and
converting the Indians, and caring for the disabled
colonists. They refused every overture to return to
Europe, and shared in all the vicissitudes of the
struggling colony, rich at lea'^t in the good-will of its
people.

In the convent across the street from the Hotel Dieu,
Kateri and her friend were warmly welcomed by Mar-
guerite Bourgeois and the Sisters of the Congregation.
It is probable that the two young Indian girls stayed
over night at the convent, for Sceur Bourgeois delighted
in entertaining just such guests, to shield them from all
harm while in the city, and to win them to the practice
of virtue and piety. There is every reason to believe
that Kateri was much influenced and stimulated in her
spiritual aspirations by what she saw there, and above
all by coming in contact with the strong and saintly
character of the woman who had founded so useful an
order. Marguerite Bourgeois and her companions were
successful in doing good from the very first ; and to-day
the great Villa-Maria, which is the outgrowth of her
humble but earnest efforts, is set like a queenly diadem
on the brow of Mount Royal There the young girls of
America are still attracted, sheltered, taught, and in-
cited by the nuns of her order to a life of virtue and
good deeds, in much the same spirit that the early
colonial belles and Indian maidens were gathered to-

Ji:: !
.fill i

MONTREAL IN 1078.

237

rder ia
s save
rilds of
) them
misfor-
ig and
isabled
urn to
of the
L of its

5I Dieu,
>y Mar-
egation.
stayed
slighted
rom all
practice
believe
1 in her
above
saintly
seful an
ins were
I to-day
of her
diadem
girls of
and in-
tue and
le early
ered to-

gether long ago by Marguerite Bourgeois herself, the
very first schoolmistress of the town. She was accus-
tomed to wear a plain black dress, with a deep pointed
linen collar, almost a little cape ; besides this, some-
thing that might be called either a short veil worn like
a hood or a large black kerchief was drawn over her head
and knotted loosely under her chin. In her later days
the edges of a white cap which she wore under this
sombre head-dress, showed about her face. Her nuns
still wear a costume which she prescribed for them.
There is nothing peculiar about their black dress or the
usual nun's veil which falls in loose folds from the head
and shoulders, but they wear an odd linen head-dress
with three points, which is drawn together under the
chin and projects downward in a stiff fold. Some of
the sweetest of faces may be seen framed in this un-
gainly gear. The hooded kerchief of Marguerite Bour-
geois was more pleasing, but she did not choose that it
should be very comfortable. A sister of hers discovered
one day that the cap she wore under this kerchief was all
bristling with bent pins. She was, perhaps, allowing
them to prick her into a remembrance of her sins at the
very time she received Kateri and her friend with a gra-
cious smile and led them into the convent. Several of the
nuns were teaching their classes. Most of the children at
the school were Canadians, but there were also Indian
girls under her care, younger than Kateri, who could
read and write and spin. Several of these were board-
ing pupils, supported by pensions from the King, Louis
XIV. These became, under the care of the Sisters, like
demure little convent girls, scarcely to be distinguished
from the Canadian children, except by their Indian

238

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

I 0.

:i-i

features. The studious aud modest little Gannensag-
was, though now sent to the new school at the Moun-
tain for a time, felt more at home in the Hue St. Paul,
where she had spent four or five years. An Onondaga
girl, Attontinon, called Mary Barbara at her baptism,
was nearer Kateri's age. She also aspired to join the
sisterhood, but was as yet too recently converted from
heathenism to be admitted.

Kateri felt shy and out of place, no doubt, among the
little scholars whom she saw at Ville-Marie, even
though some of them were Indians. She felt, perhaps,
as a wild deer of the forest might who chanced to stray
into a park where petted fawns looked knowingly up at
the half-frightened intruder, as they quietly nibbled
grass from the hands of the keepers. If the young
Mohawk girl did not turn suddenly about and take tlie
nearest path to the woods and thickets, it was only be-
cause her timidity was held in check by a great eager-
ness to learn all she could about the life of those
beautiful, quiet nuns. She knew they had come far
away from their own country to teach the Iroquois and
the Algonquins as well as the Canadian children to live
like Christians. Kateri did not ask all the questions
that came into her mind ; but this much she certainly
learned, — that the sisters lived unmanied, apart from the
rest of the people, and spent much time in prayer. She
had an opportunity also to observe some of their daily
exercises and little practices of piety. It is more than
likely that she went with them on a visit of devotion to
the stone chapel of Bon Seeours, a little way out of the
town. It was just finished at that time ; and a small
statue of Our Lady, brought from France by Soeur

^'1

MONTREAL IN 1678.

239

nensag-
Moun-
t. Paul,
londaga
laptism,
join the
ed from

ong the
e, even
Derhaps,
to stray
ly up at
nibbled
young
take tlxe
only be-
lt eager-
Df those
lome far
lois and
n to live
uestions
jertainly
from the
^er. She
eir daily
ore than
motion to
it of the
a small
ly ScEur

Bourgeois, had been placed there. The officials of the
town secured the garret of the church for a temporary
arsenal to store their ammunition. There was no other
place as yet in Ville-Marie that was fireproof. The
Church of Bon Secours has always been a favorite
shrine. Kateri's devotion to the Blessed Virgin would
naturally lead her there before she left the city. She
was both interested and attracted during her stay in
Montreal by everything she saw at the Convent of
Notre Dame and at the Hotel Dieu. But she gave no
intimation of a wish to remain with the nuns at either
of these establishments. Her whole life had been the
life of an untamed Indian. She had accepted Chris-
tianity in the only way in which under the circum-
stances it could possibly have been ofifered to her, —
that is to say, Christianity pure and simple, with few
of the trappings of European civilization. She was
a living proof that an Indian could be thoroughly
Christianized without being civilized at all in the ordi-
nary sense of the word. She was still a child of the
woods, and out of her element elsewhere. It was with
scarce a regret, then, that she returned with her friend
to the Sault, and resumed her usual life there. But
her visit to Montreal had given her an intimation of
something well known to the Christians of Europe,
which had not been taught at the mission. The married
state was frequently praised there, and always recom-
mended to the Indians. The blackgowns did not ven-
ture to give the counsel of Saint Paul concerning virgin-
ity, to a people that were but just learning to walk in the
way of the commandments. But Kateri had been struck
by the example of the Jesuit Fathers themselves, and

240

KATERI TEKAKWITIIA.

•^iir

-iih

•

4' ^

'W' '•

her penetrating mind hod already guessed that some-
thing was withheld from her on this point ; after her
visit to the nuus at Montreal she was confirmed more
than ever in her resolve to remain unmarried.

Kateri and Th^rese talked the matter over when she
returned to the Sault ; and together they formed a plan
for carrying out their idea of living a perfect life. It
was a romantic rather than a practical project, but so
quaint and beautiful that it is well worth telling. In
the first place Th^rfese was discreet enough to recom-
mend that they should have an older woman with them
who would know all about the affair from the first.
She said she knew just the right sort of a person, — a
good Cliristian, advanced in years, who had lived for
some time at Quebec and also at Lorette, the older
Huron mission which was conducted on the same plan
as the Iroquois mission at the Sault. The name of this
woman was Marie Skarichions. Kateri agreed to what
her friend suggested, and on a certain day they all three
assembled at the foot of the tall cross on the river-bank,
that they might consult together without interruption.
It was a quiet, dreamy spot, and always the favorite
resort of Kateri for prayer and meditation, or confiden-
tial interviews with her friend. No sooner were they
seated there, than the old woman began to talk, and to
tell them that she also would gladly live as they wished
to live ; that she had been taken care of once by the
Sisters at Quebec when she was sick ; that she knew
just how they lived, for she had noticed them particu-
larly. She went on to say that she and Th^r^se and
Kateri must never separate, that they must all dress
just alike, and live together in one lodge. Kateri lis-

MoNTRKAL IN 1678.

241

t sonie-
fter her
id more

hen she
(1 a plan
life. It
b, but so
iDg. In

recora-
ith them
he first,
•son, — a
lived for
he older
ime plan
le of this

to what
all three
irer-bank,
irruption.

favorite
confiden*
rere they
k, and to
y wished
Be by the
he knew

particu-
ir^se and
all dress
!ateri lis-

tened ca^'erly to all this talk, hoping to gather some
proMt from it, and begging the woman not to concoal
from her anything she knew that would make her .soul
more pleasing to ( iod. As their imaginations grew m(»ro
and more excited in picturing to one another tlic ideal
life they would lead in their little community, sliut oil'
from everything that might distract them from i>rayer
and holy thoughts, their eyes fell naturally enough upon
the solitary unfrequented Isle-aux-Hdrons which lay oil'
in the midst of the rapids. "There!" they said, with
sudden enthusiasm, as they pointed to the island, —
" there is the place for our lodge of prayer ! " and they
began to portion it off in their thoughts, and to plan an-
oratory with a cross under the trees ; tney also tried to
make out a rule of life for themselves. But all at once
they remembered Father Fremin, the head of the mis-
sion, and wondered what he would think of their pro-
ject. Kateri had great respect for authority, and a true
spirit of obedience. They agreed to do nothing without
the consent of the blackgown. One of them went at
once to find him and told him why they were assembled,
asking him at the same time if he did not approve of
their plan. But alas ! the unfortunate messenger came
back to the other two covered with confusion. The
blackgown, she said, had only laughed heartily at all
their beautiful projects, and made light of them, saying
that they were too young in the faith to think of such
a thing as founding a convent. It was too much out of
the ordinary way, and quite unsuitable. The Isle-aux-
H^rons was altogether too far from the village. The
young men going back and forth from Montreal would
be always in their cabin. Upon further consideration.

242

KATKUl TKKAKWITllA.

they coiicliulecl that, iiftur all, what the Father said was
retwoiiable, aud tlni/ tlioajht no man: of thiir couviut of
the " Jsle-aux-I/<!roits."

Uut KaLeri, for her part, was determined to see the
Father herself a little later, and ^'et from him, if iiossible,
some further information about the life she wished to
lead. Unforeseen circumstances obliged her much sooner
than she exi)ected to seek the counsel and advice of
Father Cholenec on this very subject, for the adopted
sister of Kateri was even then forming plans of her
own for the disposal of her young relative.

"1 AM NOT ANY LuNOEIi MY OWN.'

248

CHAl^TEK XXI.

"I AM NOT ANY LONGER MY OWN."

KATERI TEKAKWITHA had already refused to
be united to a heathen brave. " liut a Christiau
marriage," said her sister to Anastasia, " is a very differ-
ent affair." The raatchmakei-s were again lying in wait
for her. It is Father Cholenec who gives us the best ac-
count of this final contest with Tekakwitha on the mat-
rimonial question. He was her spiritual director at the
time, and was consulted by the parties on both sides.
"While Frerain was absent in France, he had charge of
the Mission, with Chaucheti^re as assistant. The fol-
lowing version of what occurred to disturb Kateri in the
fall of 1678 is taken entire from Cholenec's letter (dated
the 27th of August, 1715) : —

" Interested views inspired her sister with the design of
marrying her. She supposed there was not a young man in
the Mission du Sault who would not be ambitious of the
honor of being united to so virtuous a female ; and that
thus having the whole village from which to make her
choice, she would be able to select for her brother-in-law
some able hunter who would bring abundance to the cabin.
She expected indeed to meet with ditiiculties on the part of
Catherine, for she was not ignorant of the persecutions this
generous girl had already suffered, and the constancy with
which she had sustained them, but she persuaded herself

244

KATEBl TEKAKWITHa.

"^1

3') :

that the force of reason would finally vanquish her opposi-
tion. She selected, therefore, a particular day, and after
having shown Catherine even more affection than ordinary,
she addressed her with that eloquence which is so natural to
these Indians when they are engaged in anything which
concerns their interests.

* I must confess, my dear sister,' said she, with a manner
full of sweetness and aflfability, * you are under great obliga-
tions to the Lord for having brought you, as well as our-
selves, from our unhappy country, and for having conducted
you to the Mission du Sault, where everything is favorable
to your piety. If you are rejoiced to be here, I have no less
satisfaction at having you with me. You, every day, indeed,
increase our pleasure by the wisdom of your conduct, which
draws upon you general esteem and approbation. There
only remains one thing for you to do to complete our hap-
piness, which is to think seriously of establishing yourself
by a good and judicious mairiage. All the young girls
ann ig us take this course ; you are of an age to act as they
do, and you are bound to do 20 even more particularly than
others, either to shun the occasions of sin, or to supply the
necessities of life. It is true that it is a source of great
pleasure to us, both to your brother-in-law and myself, to
furnish these things for you, but you know that he is in the
decline of life, and that we are charged with the care of a
large family. If you were to be deprived of us, to whom
could you have recourse ? Think of these things, Catherine ;
provide for yourself a refuge from the evils which accom-
pany poverty j and determine as soon as possible to prepare
to avoid them, while you can do it so easily, and in a way
so advantageous both to yourself and to our family.'

There was nothing which Catherine less expected than
a proposition of this kind ; but the kindness and respect she
felt for her sister induced her to conceal her pain, and she

I AM NOT ANY LONGER MY OWN.'

245

contented herself with merely answering that she thanked
her for this advice, but the step was of great consequence,
and she woidd think of it seriously. It was thus that she
warded otf the first attack. She immediate ly came to seek
me, to complain bitterly of these im]X)rtunate solicitations
of her sister. As I did not appear to accede entirely to her
reasoning, and for the purpose of proving her, dwelt on
those considerations which ought to incline her to marriage,
* Ah, my Father,' said she, * / am not any longer my own.
I have given myself entirely to Jesus Christ, and it is not
possible for me to change masters. The poverty with which
I am threatened gives me no uneasiness. So little is requi-
site to supply the necessities of this wretched life, that my
labor can furnish this, and I can always find something to
cover me.' I sent her away, saying that she should think
well on the subject, for it was one which merited the most
serious attention.

Scarcely had she returned to the cabin, when her sister,
impatient to bring her over to her views, pressed her anew
to end her wavering by forming an advantageous settlement.
But finding from the reply of Catherine, that it was useless
to attempt to change her mind, she determined to enlist
Anastasia in her interests, since they both regarded her as
their mother. In this she was successful. Anastasia was
readily induced to believe that Catherine had too hastily
formed her resolution, and tlierefore employed all that in-
fluence which age and virtue gave her over the mind of the
young girl, to persuade her that marriage was the only part
she ought to take.

This measure, however, had no greater success than the
other ; and Anastasia, who had always until that time found
so much docility iu Catherine, was extremely surjjrised at the
little deference she paid to her counsels. She even bitterly
reproached her, and threatened to bring her complaints to

246

KATEUI TEKAKWITHA.

me. Catherine anticipated her in this, and after having
rehited tiie paina tliey forced lier t(j suti'er to induce her to
adopt a course so little to her taste,^ she prayed me to aid
lier in consummating the sacrifice she wished to make of
herself to Jesus Christ, and to provide lier a refuge fmm
M»e opposition she had to undergo from Anastasia and her
sister. I })raised her design, hut at the same time advised
her to take yet three days to deliberate on an affair of such
importance, and during that time to offer up extraordinary
prayers that she might be better taught the will of God ;
after which, if she still persisted in her resolution, I promised
her to put an end to the importunities of her relatives.
She at first acquiesced in what I proposed, but in less than
a (juarter of an hour, came back to seek me. * It is settled,*
said she, as she came near me ; ' it is not a question for de-
liberation ; my part has long since been taken. No, my
father, I can have no other spouse but Jesus Christ.' I
thought that it would be wrong for me any longer to oppose
a resolution which seemed to me inspired by the Holy
Spirit, and therefore exhorted her to perseverance, assuring
her that I would undertake her defence against those who
wished henceforth to disturb her on that subject. This an-
swer restored her former tranquillity of mind, and re-estab-
lished in her soul that inward peace which she preserved
even to the end of her life.

Scarcely had she gone, when Anastasia came to complain,
in her turn, that Catherine would not listen to any advice,
but followed only her own whims. She was running on in

^ In another account of tills interview given by Cholenec in his
manuscript life of Katcri, which has never been published, but is still
preserved by the Jesuits at ]\Iontreal, are the following words: " Ah,
nion perc, me repondit-elle sur le champ, et sans hesiter, ' Je ne I'aurois
m'y rendre. Je hais Ics homnies, j'ui la derniepe aversion pour le
uiariage, — la chose m'est impossible ! ' "

"I AM NOT ANY LONGER MY OWN."

•J-iT

having
her to
to aid
lake of
;e from
md her
advised
of sucli
)rdinary
3f God ;
iromised
elatives.
ess than
settled,'
1 for de-
No, my
irist.' I
oppose
lie Holy
assuring
liose who
This an-
re-estab-
jreserved

;om plain,
y advice,
mg on in

inec in his
but is still
•da: " Ah,
ne raurois
on pour le

this strain, when I interrupted her by saying that I was
acquainted with the cause of her dissatisfaction, but was as-
tonished that a Christian as old as she was could disapprove
of an action which merited the highest praise, and tliat if she
had faith, she ought to know the value of a state so sublime
as that of celibacy, which rendered feeble men like to the
angels themselves. At these words Anastasia seemed to be
in a perfect dream ; and as she possessed a deeply seated
devotion of spirit, she almost immediately began to turn the
blame upon herself; she admired the courage of this virtu-
ous girl, and at length became the foremost to fortify her in
the holy resolution she had taken. . . . [As for Catherine],
feeble as she was, she redoubled her diligence in labor, her
watchings, fastings, and other austerities. It was then the
end of autimm, when the Indians are accustomed to form
t^eir parties to go out to hunt during the winter in the
forests. The sojourn which Catherine had already made
there, and the pain she had suffered at being deprived of
the religious privileges she possessed iu the village, had in-
duced her to form the resolution, as I have ah-eady men-
tioned, that she would never during her life return there.
I thought, however, that the change of air and the diet,
which is so much better in the forest, would be able to re-
store her health, which was now very much impaired. It
was for this reason that I advised her to follow the family
and others, who went to the hunting-grounds.^

1 Cholcnec, in an older manuscript, gives further particular con-
cerning the life of this " Premiere Vierge Irokoise." In that account
of the interview, after giving the above recommendation to Kateri
about her health, her director goes on to describe the way in which his
advice was received. " At these words she only laughed, and a mo-
ment after, taking that air so devout which was usual with her when
she came to speak to me of her spiritual affairs, she made this beautiful
reply, worthy of Catherine Tegakouita : ' Ah, my father, it is true
that the body has gool cheer in tht; woods, but the soul languisheg

248

KATEUI TEKAKWITILV.

" She remained, therefore, during the winter in the village,
where slie lived only on Indian corn, and was subjected in-
deed to much suffering. But not content with allowing her
body only this insipid food, which could scarcely sustain it,
she subjected it also to austerities and excessive penances,
w ithout taking counsel of any one, persuading herself that
while the object was seif-mortification, she was right in
giving herself up to everything which could increase her
fervor. She was incited to these holy exercises by the noble
examples of self-mortification which she always had before
her eyes. The spirit of penance reigned among the Chris-
tians at the Sault. Fastings, discipline carried 3ven unto
blood, belts lined with points of iron, — these were their
most common austerities. And some of them, by these
voluntary macerations, prepared themselves when the time
came, to sulier the most fearful torments. . . . One in par-
ticular among them, named Etienne, signalized his constancy
and faith. When environed by the burning flames [at
Onondaga], he did not cease to encourage his wife, who was
suffering the same torture, to invoke with him the holy
name of Jesus. Being on the point of expiring, he rallied
all his strength, and in imitation of his Master, prayed the
Lord with a loud voice for the conversion of those who had
treated him with such inhumanity. Many of the savages,
touched by a spectacle so new to them, abandoned their
countiy and came to the Mission du Sault, to ask for baptism,
and live there in accordance with the laws of the Gospel.

"The women were not behind their husbands in the
ardor they sliowed for a life of penance. They even went

tlicip ami dies of hunger ; whereas in the village, if the Iwdy sufters a
little from not being so well nourished, the soul finds its full satisfac-
tion, being nearer to Our Lord. Therefore I abandon this niiseruble
body to hunger, and to all that jnight ha])pen ♦lo it afterwai.ls, in ord r
that my soul may be content, and may have its ordinary nourishment."

I AM NOT ANY LONGER MY OWN."

249

to such extremes that when it came to our knowledge we
were obliged to moderate their zeal. Besides the ordiuarj-
instruments of mortification which they employed, they had
a thousand new inventions to inflict suffering upon them-
selves. Some placed themselves in the snow when the cold
was most severe ; others stripped themselves to the waist in
retired places, and remained a long time exposed to the
rigor of the season, on the banks of a frozen river, and
where the wind was blowing with violence. There were
€ven those who, after having broken the ice in the ponds,
plunged themselves in up to the neck, and remained there
as lf)ng as it was necessary for them to recite many times
the ten beads of their rosary. One of them did this three
nights in succession, and it was the cause of so violent a
fever that it was thought she would have died of it. An-
other one surprised me extremely by her simplicity. I
learned that, not content with having herself used this mor
tification, she had also plunged her daughter, but three
years old, into the frozen river, from which she drew her
out half dead. When I sharply reproached her indiscretion,
she answered me with a surprising naivet6, that she did not
think she was doing anything wrong, but that knowing her
daughter would one day certainly offend the Lord, she had
wished to impose on her in advance the pain which her sin
merited.

" Although those who inflicted these mortifications on
themselves were particular to conceal them from the knowl-
edge of the public, yet Catherine, who had a mind quick
and penetrating, did not fail from various appearances to
conjecture that which they held so secret ; and as she studied
every means to testify more and more her love to Jesus
Christ, she applied hei*self to examine everything that was
done pleasing to the Lord, that she might herself immedi-
ately put it in practice."

250

KATEKI TEKAKWITHA.

Clmuchetifere, alluding to the events of this same fall
and winter (1G78 and 1679), gives some details of her
life not mentioned by Cholenec. He says: —

" As soon as she learned from Father Fremin that God
left every Christian free to marry or not to marry, slie lost
no time in choosing a state of life for herself, and furtlier-
mnre, if the fear that she had of appearing virtuous had
not restrained her, she would have cut off her hair ; she
contented herself with dressing like those who were the
most modest in the village. Father Fremin gave her
some rules of life more special than those he gave to the
others; he directed her to keep herself in retirement, above
all during the summer time, when the canoes of the Uttawas
came down, to remain in her cabin, and not go to the
water's edge to see them arrive, like the rest. She also
regarded what he said about not going to Montreal. In a
word, it was only necessary to tell he* a thing once, and
she put it in practice. It was a common saying in the
village that Catherine was never elsewhere than in her
cabin or in the church ; that she knew but two paths, — one
to her field, and the other to her cabin, Bu*- to come in
particular to the rules that she prescribed for harself, here
are a few of them.

" iJeing a young Indian, twenty-two or twenty-three
years old, she must naturally have liked to be well and
properly dressed like the others, which consists in having
the hair well oiled, well tied, and well parted, in having a
long braid [queue] behind, and in adorning the neck with
wampum. They like to have beautiful Itlankets and beauti-
ful chemises, to have the leggings or mittens well made,,
and above all to have just the right kind of a moccasin ; in
a word, vanity possesses them.

" Catherine thought she could do away with all that, with-

■I AM NUT ANY LONGER MY OWN."

251

ime fall
3 of her

hat God
slie lost
further-
lous had
lair ; she
were the
gave her
ire to the
iiit, above
a Uttawas

to the
She also

lal. In a
once, and
ig in the
in in her
ths, — one
3 come in
Tself, here

enty-threfr

well and

in having

1 having a
neck with
md beauti-
vell made,,
jccasin ; in

that, with-

out eccentricity. But one could see by her dress what her
tliought was. 8he was not looking for a husband ; she gave
up all bright red blankets and all the ornaments tiiat the
Indian girls wear. She had a blue blanket, new and simple,
for the days when she went to communion ; but more than
that, she had an interior, very perfect, which was known only
to God ; but which she could not hide so well but that her
companion knew of it at the times of their greatest i" Tvor. . . .
Marie Therese Tegaiaguenta once told Catherine ^" certain
movements of indignation that she had against herself and her
sins ; and that when she was going one day into the woods feel-
ing herself oppressed with grief at the thought of her sins, she
had taken a handful of switches and had given herself heavy
strokes with them on her hands ; and that another time
having climbed a tall tree to get birch-bark for a piece of
work, when she was at the top she was seized with fear.
Casting her eyes to the foot of the tree where there were
many stones, she believed with reason, that if she fell she
would break her head. But a good thought came to her
then, which confirmed her more than ever in all the good
resolutions she had already made to serve God ; for reflect-
ing on her fear, she blamed herself for fearing to die and not
fearing even more than that to fall into hell. Tears came
into her eyes as she descended ; and when she reached the
ground, she sat down at the foot of the tree, throwing her
bark aside, and giving way to the good feeling that had
talien possession of her."

Kateri did not forget what her companion told her
about the switches, and resolved to make a daily prac-
tice for herself which she could keep up during the
time of the chase.

While her sister with her family were off at the
hunting-camp, Kateri had as much time as she could

252

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

wish to satisfy her devotion at the village chapel. She
remained there so many hours on her knees in the
coldest winter weather, that more than once some one
or other of the blackgowns, moved with compassion at
sight of her half-frozen condition, obliged her to leave
the chapel and go warm herself. Kateri had at last
learned, by repeated inquiries, all she wanted to know
about the nuns whom she had seen at Montreal. She
was now aware that they were Christian virgins con-
secrated to God by a vow of perpetual continence.
Cholenec says : —

" She gave me no peace till I had granted her permission
to make the same sacrifice of herself, not by a simple reso-
lution to guard her virginity, such as she had already made,
but by an irrevocable engagement which obliged her to
belong to God without any recall. I would not, however,
give my consent to this step until I had well proved her,
and been anew convinced that it was the Spirit of God act-
ing in this excellent girl, which had thus inspired her with
a design of which there had never been an example among
the Indians."

KATEHI'S VOW.

2.53

CHAPTER XXII.

KATEKl'S VOW ON LADY DAY, AND THE SUMMER OF

1079.

KATERI'S soul was indeed of rarest and costliest
mould. Of this Father Cholenec was now fully
aware. He also knew her quiet determination of spirit,
and he no longer resisted her pleadings to be allowed
to consecrate herself to God by a vow of perpetual vir-
ginity. This she did, with all due solemnity, on the
Feast of the Blessed Virgin, the 2oth of March, 1679.

However others might look upon her act, this solemn
engagement with God gave her a feeling of freedom
rather than of thraldom. At last she had an acknowl-
edged right to live her own life in her own way. She
was Rawenniio's bride. The blackgown had approved
of her vow, and no relative of hers at the Sault ven-
tured afterwards to question or disturb her. " From
that time," says Cholenec, " she aspired continually to
heaven, where she had fixed all her desires ; . . . but
her body was not sufficiently strong to sustain the
weight of her austerities and the constant effort of her
spirit to maintain itself in the presence of God." She
tested her powers of endurance to the utmost. Her
constant companion, Th^rfese, afterwards told of her that
on one occasion, as they were coming from the field
into the village, carrying each of them a heavy load of

254

KATEIU TUKAKWITHA.

i
ft

.'«

wood, Kuteri slipped on the frozen ground and fell,
causing the points of an iron belt which she was accu.s-
tomed to wear to penetrate far into her Hesh. When
Th^ri'se advised her on account of this accident to leave
her bundle of wood until another time, Kateri only
laughed, and lifting it quickly, carried it to the cabin,
where she made no mention of her hurt. When sum-
mer came and the others laid aside their blankets for
a time, she continued to wear hers over her head even
in the hottest weather. Auastasia said that she did
this, not so much to shield her eyes from the light, as
from modesty and a spirit of mortification.

Kateri and Th^r^se found a deserted cabin near the
village, where they were now in the habit of going
every Saturday afternoon to prepare themselves in a
suitable manner, as they supposed, for receiving the
sacrament of penance.

Chauchetifere relates how this custom of theirs origi-
nated, and how they employed themselves while in this
retreat. It was only by questioning Th^rfese after the
death of Kateri that the full extent of their austerities
became known, for they were careful to conceal them
from the knowledge of all. Father Fremin was away
at this time, having gone on a voyage to France, and
Father Cholenec had full charge of the mission during
his absence. As his time was filled with new cares
and responsibilities, he had but little opportunity to
notice or discover that Kateri Tekakwitha, the treasure
confided to his keeping by Father de Lamberville, was
in all simplicity and earnestness wrecking her health
and strength by undergoing fearful penances. Suggested
to her either by the remorseful and penitent mind of

nd fell,

ftCCUH-

When
to leave
iri only
e cabin,
en sum-
kets for
ad even
she did
light, as

dear the
)f going
ves in a
vring the

ire origi-
ie in this
after the
isterities
3al them
vas away
mce, and
n during
ew cares
:unity to

treasure
irille, was
ir health
Suggested

mind of

KATEKIS VUW.

>•)

Th^i-fese, or the stern instruction!* of Anastasia, tlity
were carried out with tliu utmost severity hy Kiitcri
on her frail and innocent self, as though she bore
on her own shouldere the sins of the whole Iroquois
nation.

It may be well to give a full account of hcjw she was
accustomed to make hin preparation for confession,
and where the plan originated. One Saturday afternoon
while waiting for the bell to ring for Benediction, she
sat in the cabin of Thdrfese, talking confidentially with
her friend on matters of conscience. Thdrfese happened
to mention the bundle of switches with which she had
scourged herself on a certain occasion ; and Kateri, quick
to put a pious thought into practice, hastened at once
to the cemetery, which was near at hand, and returned
with a handful of stinging little rods. These she hid
adroitly under the mat on which she was sitting, and
waited eagerly for the first stroke of the bell. Then
hurrying the people of the cabin as fast as possible to
the church, the two were no sooner alone than they
fastened the lodge securely on the inside, and gave full
vent to their devotion. Kateri was the first to lull
upon her knees, and handing her companion the
switches, begged her not to spare her in the least.
When she had been well scourged, she in turn took the
switches, and Th^rfese knelt down to receive the blows.
With bleeding shoulders, they said a short prayer to-
gether, and then hastened to the chapel, joyous and
happy at heart. Never before had the prayers seemed
shorter or sweeter to them than on that evening. Their
next thought was to choose a place where they might
continue this exercise. The unfrequented cabin already

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256

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

mentioned seemed to them a most favorable spot. It
belonged to a French trader, who only came at long
intervals to the village. It stood always open, and had
become gradually surrounded by graves, so that it was
now within the cemetery. There the two friends went
every Saturday. After mak'ng an act of contrition,
they proceeded as follows: They recited the Act of
Faith, which they were accustomed to say at the
church ; then Kateri, who wished always to be the
first in penitence, would kneel and receive the scourg-
ing, begging her companion all the while to strike
harder, even though blood appeared at the third stroke.
When they came to a pause, they recited the chaplet
of the Holy Family, which they divided into several
parts, at each of which a stroke was given with the
switches. But towards the end of the exercise, their
devotion knew no bounds. It was then that Kateri
laid bare the sentiments of her heart in such words as
these: "My Jesus, I must risk everything with you.
I love you, but I have offended you. It is to satisfy
your justice that I am here. Discharge upon me, O my
God, discharge upon me your wrath." Sometimes tears
and sobs choked her voice so she could not finish what
she was saying. At these times she would speak of
the three nails which fastened our Saviour to the cross
as a figure of her sins. When Kateri was thus touched,
she did not fail to move her companion, who with equal
fervor underwent the same voluntary punishment.

Th^r^se assures us that the worst fault that Kateri
could ever find to accuse herself of on these occasions
when she opened her heart most freely, was the cai'eless-
ness in which she had lived after her baptism. This con-

KATERI'S VOW.

.J6T

spot. It
e at long
1, and had
lat it was
3nda went
jontrition,
le Act of
by at the
to be the
le scourg-
to strike
ird stroke,
le chaplet
to several
with the
cise, their
lat Kateri
li words as
with you.
to satisfy
me, O my
imes tears
inish what
i speak of
D the cross
as touched,
with equal
ihment.
;hat Kateri
e occasions
he careless-
. This con-

sisted in not having resisted those who had forced her to
go to work in the fields on Sundays and feast days ; that
is, in not having rather suffered martyrdom at their
handa She reproached herself with having feared death
more than sin. That this saintly girl sufilered everything
short of absolute martyrdom in her efforts to keep holy
the Lord's Day, we already know from the record of her
life in the Mohawk Valley. It must be remembered,
too, that at that time she had not made her first com-
munion or been fully instructed.

It would be a long and harrowing task to give a full
account of all the austere fasts and penances that Kateri
Tekakwitha underwent during the course of the year
1679. Many of them belong to the age and the place
in which she lived, and were in common practice then
and there. Others go to prove the rude, Spartan spirit
of her race, which gloried in exhibitions of fortitude
under torture. But the tortures that her people knew
how to endure so well through pride, Kateri endured in
a spirit of penance and atonement. Her greatest ex-
cesses of self-inflicted p&in came like sparks of fire from
her intense love of the crucified Redeemer. She wished
to prove herself the slave of His love. She had seen the
Iroquois (varriors brand their slaves with coals of fire ;
so she could not resist the impulse which came to her
one night to seize a red-hot brand from the hearthfire,
and to place it between her toes. She held it there
while she recited an Ave Maria. When the prayer was
over, she was indeed branded. Such inflictions as these,
by their incessant expenditure of energy, soon wore out
her frail body, and brought of their own accord a speedy
answer to her never-flagging prayer, — that Bawenniio,

■%

mBommt

268

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

the beautiful God of the Christians, whom she had
learned to love so well, would take her to His lodge !

" Kateri had great and special devotion both for the
Passion of our Saviour and for the Holy Eucharist. These
two mysteries of the love of the same God, concealed under
the veil of the Eucharist and His dying on the cross, cease-
lessly occupied her spirit, and kindled in her heart the
purest flames of love. One day, after having received the
Holy Communion, she made a perpetual oblation or solemn
offering of her body to Jesus attached to the cross, and of
her soul to Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the
Altar." »

As Kateri knew but two paths while she lived at the
Saidt, — one leading from her cabin to the field where
she worked, and the other to the chapel where she
prayed, — her friends could easily find her. There, at
the church day after day, and many times a day, any
one who chanced to stray in might see a mufiled figure
kneeling near the altar-rail, facing the tabernacle. At
such times she saw nothing, heard nothing, of what was
taking place around her or behind her. In front of her
was the sacred Presence she could not leave unle^^s for
some urgent call of duty or charity.

A touch on the shoulder, a whispered word, " You are
wanted, Kateri," and no hand or heart was more willing
than hers to assist or relieve, as the case might be.
Often she did not wait for this. A sudden inspiration,
an impulse of sympathy, carried her where she was
needed. When the good deed was done, the love within
her heart drew her again to the foot of the tabernacle.
"When she entered the church in taking the blessed

* Cholenec's letter.

KATERI'S VOW.

259

)he had
odge !

for the
These
3d under
», cease-
eart the
ived the

solemn
I, and of
i of the

id at the
d where
lere she
rhere, at
liay, any
ed figure
bcle. At
irhat was
it of her
Qle?^8 for

You are
B willing
dght be.
piration,
she was
e within
bemacla
I blessed

water she recalled her baptism, and renewed the resolu-
tion she had taken to live as a good Christian ; when
she knelt down in some comer near the balustrade for
fear of being distracted by those who passed in and
out, she would cover her face with her blanket, and
make an act of faith concerning the real presence in
the Blessed Sacrament. She made also several other
interior acts of contrition, of resignation, or of humility,
accoixling to the inspiration which moved her, asking of
God light and strength to practise virtue well. In the
fourth place," continues Chaucheti^, " she prayed for
unbelievers, and above all for her Iroquois relatives.
She finished her devotion by saying her beads. She
confided this exercise to her companion, who made it
known. Except for her habit of hiding the beautiful
practices taught her by the Holy Spirit, we might have
occasion to admire still more the rapid progress which
faith made in her soul. She had regulated the visits
which she made to our Lord to five times a day without
fail ; but it can be said that the church was the place
where she was ordinarily found."

Spiritual writers are accustomed to divide the Chris-
tian life into threo progressive grades ; namely, the pur-
gative, the illuminative, and the unitive. Chaucheti^re
declares that Kateri's life at the Sault might well serve
as an example to the most fervent Christians of Europe,
and compares her spirit with that of Saint Catherine of
Sienna ; ther. he sums up in a few words her exalted
spiritual attainments by saying that she was already
in the "unitive way" before having well known the
other twa

260

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

IV i:

CHAPTER XXIIL

KATERI ILL — TH^R^SE CONSULTS THE BLACKGOWN. —
FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION. — THE BED OF THORNS.

KATERI'S health was fast failing; and those with
whom she lived, perceiving this, watched her
more closely and sought to check her in her fasts and
penances. They saw that or Wednesdays and Satur-
days she ate nothing. At theso times she would spend
the whole day in the woods gathering fuel They were
careful after this to have the soup ready before she
started out in the morning ; but even then she would
occasionally find an excuse to slip away without her
breakfast. When it was the turn of one of the other
women of the same lodge-fire to go for wood, Kateri
sometimes interfered, saying that the woman in ques-
tion had a baby to nurse and ought to stay in the cabin ;
as for herself, there was nothing to keep her, she could
just as well go as not Before they noticed that she
had not yet taken a mouthful, she would be off to the
woods and at work. When she could no longer fast
without attracting notice, she siill kept up the practice
of mingling ashes with her food, or denying herself in
some other way.

About this time a child of her adopted sister died.
As Kateri was assisting the other women to make a
grave for her little nephew, one of them said to her.

V ■

HER FAILING HEALTH.

261

laughing, "Where is yours, Kateri?" "It is there,"
ahe answered, pointing to a certain spot^ The inci-
dent was soon forgotten ; but Kateri was not mistaken,
as was proved later. The place she indicated was near
the tall cross by the river, where she was accustomed
to pray, and where she had her first long talk with
Th^rfese Tegaiaguenta.

Her only pleasure now was in prayer or in spiritual
conversations with her friend Th^r^e or with Anas-
tasia; for both of them spoke often of God. All other
companionship had become distasteful to her. Her
natural gift of ready and witty conversation, as well as
her helpful disposition, won her many friends without
effort She was beloved as well as reverenced by the
whole population, while careful to shun more and more
all intercourse that did not help her heavenward. In
her humility it did not occur to her that she on her
part could perhaps do something towards lifting others
to the high plane of her own thoughts. Chaucheti^re
relates the following incident of how she was once
called on for advice, much to her own surprise. Two
young married people — Francois, the Seneca, and his
wife Marguerite — had watched E^teri's way of life with
much interest and admiration. They knew she had
made a vow of virginity, and one day they called her
into their cabin with the idea of learning from her how
a good Christian ought to live in this world. In order
ti;at she might be less embarrassed and speak freely,

1 This incident is given by Cholenec in his manoBcript entitled " La
Vie de Catherine T^koiiita, Premiere Yieige Irokoise." He adds:
" Phn Chaucheti^re wanted her pat in the charch; bat I pnt her in
the pkce she had indicated, without knowing it till long afterwards."

262

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

they sent at the same time for her companion, Th^r^e.
When both were seated, the door was closed as u token
that what they were about to ask Kateri wp^ a great
secret, and that they were ready to keep it sacred.
Franqois the Seneca (called by the French 1a Grosse
Buche) began the conversation. He addressed himself
^oth to Kateri and to Th^r^se, saying first that he
knew what they had done, and the state of life iihey
had embracer*. This he said, that they might speak out
As for himself ho wished to be a good Christian and to
give himself entirely to God. His wife was of the
same mind. He spoke for both. Kateri was much
surprised at this discourse. She was silent for some
time, and then asked her companion to speak. It
would take too long to tell all that was said on both
sides concerning the state of life that was most pleas-
ing to God. It is enough to say that they gave no
advice to the young married couple other than that
they should go to the blackgown and propose their plan
to him. The woman was not more than twenty, and
the man scarcely older. This good Francois, it seems,
wished to live with his wife as with his sister. He did
so for some years, and would have continued to do so
had he not been advif €d to the contrary. His wish was
to repair as far as possible the evil he had done before
his baptism. He was an excellent himter and a good
warrior. He was afflicted later in life with a painful
disease, from which he suffered severely for fourteen
years. Kateri was at all times his model. He endeav-
ored to imitate her patience and resignation, as well as
her other virtues. After death he wore about Ms neck
a little chaplet, which he called Kateri's beads. Strung

HER VIRTUES REVERENCED.

268

token '
great
sacred.
Grosse
limself
ti,it he
Lhey
)ak out.
and to
of the
; much
tr some
ik. It
on both
pleas-
gave no
lan that
leir plan
aty, and
t seems,
He did
to do so
wish was
le before
id a good
I painful
fourteen
) endeav-
is well as
I his neck
Strung

next to the cross on which the Credo was to be said
were two beads, one for a PtUer and one for an Ave ;
then there were three other little beads on which he
was accustomed to say the Gloria Patri three times, to
thank the Blessed Trinity for the graces bestowed upon
Kateri. Always cheerful and contented himself, he
consoled and encouraged his wife, who, although a great
devotee, was apt to complain of her poverty. When
his health no longer permitted him to go to the chase,
he mended kettles, made pipes, and did what work he
could about the village. He brought up his children
strictly, taught them the catechism with care, and was
always on hand to sing in the church. He had a book
or scroll of pictures in which all the chief events re-
corded in the Old and New Testaments were depicted.
Copies of this ingenious form of Indian Bible are still
to be seen at Caughnawaga and elsewhere. Franqois,
the Seneca, by these means won many converts to Chris-
tianity. He was accustomed, however, to give Kateri
the credit for his success. He besought her interces-
sion with God in all his undertakings, and endeavored
to imitate her as far as possible in his life and in his
death, which occurred in 1695.

As Kateri had a great love for virginity, — a fact of
which her whole life is a proof, — she did not fail to
cultivate a deep and tender devotion to the Virgin
Mother of Christ, whom she regarded in a special man-
ner as her queen and mistress. Each day in reciting
the litany she had occasion to call upon her as the
"Queen of Virgins." To Kateri this was one of the
sweetest and dearest of her many beautiful titles. To
prove herself a devoted follower of this virgin of all

264

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

•I

'•i j'

'Mi: r

virgins, she would gladly have cut off her hair, as the
nuns do ; but the fear of appearing singular and eccen-
tric deterred her. Though she thus tried as much as
possible to hide from observation by accommodating
herself to the ways and dress of those with whom she
lived, there grew to be a something about her, — a "je
ne scay quoy," says Chaucheti^re, — an atmosphere of
purity and sanctity that almost amounted to a visible
halo. Even her directors sometimes wondered at the
impression of personal sanctity which she made upon
the people. If we consider her lonely, long, and fre-
quent prayers, not only in the chapel but at the foot of
the tall cross hy the river-bank, there is nothing to be
wondered at. Even the roughest and giddiest of the
young people of Caughnawaga were awed to a respect-
ful demeanor as she passed near them. Not only In-
dians, but occasionally the French from La Prairie
hovered about and watched for her as she came or
went from her cabin or field, in order to get a look at
the young Mohawk girl who, as they said, lived like
" a religious." Of this reverential admiration, however,
Kateri was quite unconscious. Unquestioned and un-
disturbed she followed her own course, the details of
which were known only to her bosom fnend, Th^rese.
At last Kateri was seized with a dangerous illness.
A violent fever came on, and she lay at the point of
death. Th^r^se, pale and trembling with alarm, now
thought of theii weekly scourgings in the deserted
cabin ; she feared to have her friend die without letting
the blackgown know what they had been doing, and
besought Kateri to allow her to go to Father Oholence
and tell him alL To this Kateri willingly assented.

HER FORTITUDE.

266

, as the
1 eccen-
nuch as
lodating
lom she
— a "je
phere of
a visible
I at the
de upon
and fre-
ke foot of
Qg to be
It of the
I respect-
only In-
i Prairie
came or
a look at
ived like
however,
and un-
letails of
, Th^rese.
IS illness.
1 point of
Larm, now
deserted
»ut letting
loing, and
Gholence
assented.

The blackgown concealed his astonishment at what he
heard from Th^r^, and blamed both her and her friend
for their want of discretion. Kateri, however, recov-
ered from this attack. As soon as she was well she
began at once and did not cease to importune her con-
fessor to have pity on her and allow her at least some
of her accustomed austerities, in order, as she said, that
her body might not have the victory over her. Whether
undergoing self-inflicted pains or those that come di-
rectly from the hand of God, her fortitude was extraor-
dinary, even for an Indian. Though subject to many
and frequent bodily infirmities, she never for a moment
lost her patience, or uttered the least complaint. On
the contrary, she seemed always desirous of increasing
her sufferings rather than of alleviating them, but only
from this one motive, — that she might bear a closer re-
semblance to the crucified Saviour. When she was ill,
and her confessor had forbidden her to fast, she would
put herself in a painful position. Anastasia, whom she
called mother, perceiving this, reproached her, saying
that she would kill herself. Kateri only reminded her,
with a smile, that our Lord was much more ill at ease
on the cross, — that she was not suffering at all in
comparison with him!

During the last winter of her life Kateri had frequent
attacks of illness severe enough to keep her in the
cabin. No sooner was she on her feet, however, than
she yvas again at work. She did not spare herself or
shorten her devotions. When she was too weak to
kneel, she could still be seen at her prayers in the
church, supporting herself against a bench. On one
occasion when her health was restored for a time, she

266

KATEKI T£KAKWITUA.

,i I

■m^' n

accompanied Th^r^se to La Prairie, whither she was
sent to carry certain articles from the village at the
Suult On the way there or back, Kateri, falling a
little behind the others, took off her moccasins and
walked barefooted on the ice. She was noticed and
hastily put on her shoes again. She soon overtook the
others, and would willingly have let them suppose she
had been delayed by little accident of some sort.
Thdr^se, who knew her best, thought otherwise.

On the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin
most of the villagers were away at the hunting-camp.
Kateri chose to walk through her field on that day with
bare feet, as if in a sort of procession, while she recited
her beads several times over, the snow being more than
knee-deep.

As Lent approached, she increased her austerities till
at last she reached the climax of alL Thinking that
she had not much longer to live, and must hasten to do
penance while on earth, she looked about for some new
instrument of pain. It was then the beginning of Lent»
and she had been meditating on the Passion of our
Lord. She was gathering wood. Near at hand, she saw
a great thorny briei. lu a transport of fervor she seized
it. The thorns were sharp and cutting. Had she looked
far and near, she could not have found anything better
suited to her purpose. She eagerly and hurriedly con-
ceals it in her bundle of fagots, then lifts the scraggy
mass to her back, adjusts the burden strap on her fore-
head, and starts at onc« for the lodge of Anastasia.
Finding her own lodge-seat, she loosens the thorny
brier from the fagots, covers it quickly with a large
mat, and then proceeds to stow the wood in its proper

THE BED OF THORN&

267

she was
ge at the
falling a
Eisina aud
ticed and
irtook the
ppose she
lome sort,
vise.

sed Virgin
bing-camp.
b day with
)he recited
more than

terities till
aking that
sten to do

some new
ng of Lent»
ion of our
id, she saw

she seized
she looked
hing better
riedly con-
he scraggy
n her fore-

Anastasia.
the thorny
ith a large

its proper

place. The evening drags, but at length the inmates
all come in for the night, and soon the evening meal is
over. The prayers have been said. The lodge-fires
flicker and die out. The Indians fall asleep, — all but
Kateri. She has no thought of rest. She prays far
into the night Her bed is made, and a cruel bed it is.
At last she looks towards it. She lifts the rug that
covers it, clasps tightly in her hand a little crucifix
she always wears about her neck, and with a fervent
aspiration of love to God, throws herself upon the
thorns. As she rolls from side to side, she grows faint,
and her lips are parc!>ed with thirst, but still she has no
desire to leave her thorny couch. She murmurs prayer
after prayer, and waits for the daylight to come before
rising from her bed to hide the brambles, now flecked
with blood. Kateri is as busy as usual the next day,
and her blithe smile comes and goes as freely as ever.
Still, when night settles down on the village, she does
not sleep, but tosses again on her bed of thorns. On
the following day Th^r^se observes that Kateri is tired
and weak. She draws her breath quickly, as they walk
over the rough ground together, and her head droops low
at her prayers. Her friend tries to coax her to take more
rest, to leave this or that task for another day. But all in
vain. To Kateri every moment is precious now. and not
one daily duty is left undone when she retires for the
third time to her bed of thorns. When day dawns, she
is up as usual, and Th^r^se comes early to see her.
Gladly would she escape the searching eye of her friend,
but it is of no use. Kateri is ghastly pale, and Thdr^se,
suspecting the truth, will not be put off. She espies
the thorns, and Kateri confesses all. A pang went to

■i

1st

lit ' I

1 1

268

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

the heart of Th^r^se, wheu she thought of Kateri*s in-
nocence and of her own sins. How could she have
slept while this pure-hearted one whom she loved so
well was rolling upon thorns ! The next thought of the
impulsive, warm-hearted Th^r^se was one of concern
for the life of her friend. She spoke quickly and vehe-
mently to Kateri, declaring that she would certainly
offend God if she inflicted such sufferings on herself
without the permission of her confessor. This aroused
the scruples of Tekakwitha. " Catherine, who trembled
at the very appearance of sin," says Cholenec, "came
immediately to find me, to confess her fault and ask
pardon of God. I blamed her indiscretion, and directed
her to throw the thorns into the fire." This she did at
once. When it was simply a question of obedience to
one who held rightful authority over her, Kateri did not
hesitate. Her confessor testifies that she never showed
thA least attachment to her own will, but was always
submissive to his direction. "She found herself very
ill," he continues, " towards the time that the men are
accustomed to go out to the hunting-grounds in the
forest, and when the females are occupied from morn-
ing until evening in the fields. Those who are ill are
therefore obliged to remain alone through the whole
day in their cabins, a plate of Indian com and a little
water having in the morning been placed near their
mat." It was thus that Kateri Tekakwitha passed
through her last illness, during the Lent of 1680. She
lay helpless in the lodge of Anastasia, while the corn
was being planted in the fields, and the birds were fly-
ing northward across the Mohawk River. These little
friends of hers brought back to her many a thought of

II- r

«n s in-
he have
loved so
it of the
coocern
id vehe-
3ertainly
herself
aroused
trembled
;, "came
and ask
directed
le did at
icnce to
i did not
r showed
3 always
self very
men are
s in the
im mom-
"e ill are
le whole
1 a little
ear their

THE CHILDREN VISIT HER

269

80. She
the corn
were fly-
ese little
lought of

her native valley, as they stopped to dip their bills in
the St. Lawrence, and to sing awliile to Kateri in her
pain.

The children, too, came in to see her now and then.
The blackgown whose task it was to teach them,
gathered them close to her mat one day. She was too
ill to move ; but when he unrolled the pictures of the
Old and New Testaments which he had with him, and
began to explain them to the eager, bright-eyed little
ones, a glow of interest came into the weary eyes that
were dull with suffering a moment before. Forgetting
all else but her insatiable desire for true knowledge,
Kateri with great effort raised herself on her elbow, that
she might see and understand better what was going on.
A question now and then from her drew out a fuller
explanation from the blackgown. The children them-
selves, with quick sympathy, caught from her low,
earnest tones, a keener relish for the truth, and listened
with rapt attention to the lesson drawn from the sacred
story. At the stroke of the Angelus the instruction
was over, and also the children's visit. How quickly
the time had passed ! Kateri thanked the blackgown,
and begged him to come again with his class to the
lodge, that he might teach both her and them. " Fare-
well, Kateri," the children cry, as they hasten out to
their sports. Quickly they forget her, and she too has
forgotten them ; she has clasped her crucifix in her
hands, and is still buried in prayer when the women
begin to come in from the field.

■■S!

^■m

r.vi

KATERI TEKAKVVITHA.

I .1

CHAPTER XXIV.

KATEM'S death. — "I WILL LOVE THEE IN HEAVEN." —
THE BURIAL. — HER GRAVE AND MONUMENT.

FOR nearly a year Kateri had been slowly losing
vTtrength. She had a continuous low fever ; but
during the last two months of her life her sufferings
were very acute, and she could not change her position
without severe pain. It was in Passion Week that the
children were instructed by the blackgown at her bed-
side for the last time. Anastasia uud the other women
of the lodge continued to attend to her few wauts
morning and evenmg, before and after their work in the
fields. They knew, however, by this time, that the
young girl could not recover. Anastasia drearily watched
her sinking day by day. She had never fully under-
stood Kateri, but she loved her very much, and did all
that would have been expected of an Indian mother
under the circumstances. The dish of Indian com and
a pot of fresh water were left beside her each day ; and
towards the last, women were appointed to watch with
the sufferer at night. These watchers belonged to the
Association of the Holy Family. Kateri was not more
neglected than others who were ill at these busy times
She, however, was perfectly content, and even glad to
be left alone with God. This relish for solitude did
not prevent her from greeting with a smile or a gay.

THE THOUGHT OF DEATH.

271

EAVEN. —
aENT.

)wly losing
fever; but
r sufferings
her position
jek that the
at her bed-
ther women
few wants
work in the
e, that the
rily watched
fully under-
, and did all
dian mother
ian com and
,ch day ; and
) watch with
}nged to the
eas not more
e busy times
even glad to
solitude did
lile or a gay,

bright word any or all who came to her side. There
was one in the village at whose coming her heart
bounded. It is needless to say that this was Th^r^se
Tegaiaguenta. Of aU hearts at the Sault St Louis,
hers was the saddest through the days that Kateri lay
dying. It was hard to work in the corn-field ; it was
hard not to be with her in the lodge. On Palm Sunday,
at least, they could have a few hours together between
Mass and Benediction. Whenever Th^rdse knelt at
prayer in the chapel, she felt that Kateri, lying on her
mat, joined her in spirit. But when she prayed for
her friend's recovery, she knew that Kateri's lips were
unresponsive. They murmured no amen. The only
prayer they could form at such times was like unto
this : " Grod pity Th^r^se, and give her the strength she
needs!"

On Monday in Holy Week, she asked for permission
to fast, in honor of our Saviour's passion. She wished
to pass the whole day without food. They told her
that this she could not do, — that she had not long to
live, and that she ought to ^ca thinking of other things.
Not long to live ? Was this in truth what they said ?
She could not conceal her happiness at the thought of
death. The angel with shadowy wings was close at
hand, waiting to show her the face of Bawenniio.

On Tuesday she failed rapidly in strength. They
feared she would die, and prepared to give her the last
sacraments. Father Gholenec did not intend for a mo-
ment that she should be deprived of the Viaticum, — that
strength of the wayfarer, and bread of angels, so need-
ful to the dying. But just how it should be administered
was a question. Thus far the Blessed Sacrament had

272

KATERI Tii:KAKWITHA.

ii: I

1; !

i m

\: '■

never been carried to an Indian's cabin. The sick were
put on a bark litter and borne to the door of the church,
where they received Holy Communion. Kateri was too
weak for this. The two Fathers at the mission consulted
together, and quickly resolved to make an exception in
her case. No one either then or afterwards murmured
at this distinction accorded to the Lily of the Mohawks.
Father Cholenec at once entered the sanctuary, took
the sacred particle from the tabernacle, and passed out
of the church, following the shortest road to Anastasia's
cabin. All who were then in the village assembled to
accompany him, and knelt about the door of the lodge,
leaving a passage for the blackgown to enter. In the
mean time Kateii heard of the honored Guest whom she
was to receive ; whose sacramental presence had been
so long denied her, on account of her inability to drag
herself to the chapeL This had not been possible since
the first weeks of Lent. She was now overjoyed at the
good news they brought her. Her face lighted up with
happines& Then aU at once she remembered the mis^
erable condition and great poverty to which long-con-
tinued sickness had reduced her. So she held fast to
the hand of Th^r^se, who was then at her side, and
begged her earnestly not to leave her. As soon as they
were left alone for a moment, she confided to her friend
that she owned no decent garment in which to receive
her Lord, who was about to visit her, having only those
she now wore. Th^r^se, touched at this avowal, &om
one who knew so well how to care for herself and
others when she had been able to work, quickly brought
a chemise of hei own for EaUiri, and dressed her
properly for the great event so near at hand. Kateri

i%..-

THE VIATICUM.

278

dck were
church,

i was too
consulted
leption in
nunnured
Mohawks,
lary, took
)assed out
Inastasia's
sembled to

the lodge,
ir. In the
b whom she
9 had heen
bty to drag
^ible since
joyed at the
ited up with
:ed the mis-
ch long-con-
held fast to
er side, and
soon as they
to her friend
ch to receive
ig only those
avowal .fiwn:

heiself and
ickly brought
[ dressed her
liand. Kuteri

had hidden her poverty even from Anastasia. All is at
last in readiness, both within the lodge and without ; her
heart's desire is at hand. " Behold He cometh, leaping
over the mountains."

The blackgown, with the sacred Viaticum, entered
the rude bark cabin, which was crowded with kneeling
Indians. The Confiteor was i-ecited. Kateri Tekakwitha
renewed her baptismal vows and the sr!emn offering
she had made of her body to Almighty God. She re-
called the graces bestowed upon her, and especially
such as had enabled her to preserve her chastity
through life. She then received the Body and Blood
of Christ, and after a few moments of silent adoration,
all present joined with her in prayer. Throughout the
afternoon other Indians of the village, as they came in
froLA the hunt or the field, were constantly going back
and forth to the lodge where she lay. All wished to
see her and to hear her dying words. Not one was in-
different to the passing of her soul. Many were the
signs of love and of reverence shown for her on that
day. It would seem as if she had been to each one of
them like a favorite sister. All were eager to gain a
remembrance in her prayers.

" The Father profited by this occasion," says Chauche-
ti^re, "and obliged Catherine to exhort some persons
who needed to be encouraged in virtue." He adds that
the words of the dying always had great effect at the
mission in converting those who could not be brought
otherwise to be baptized or to confess their sins. If
this were the case ordinarily, how doubly effective must
have been the words thus wrung from Kateri, despite
her humility, by the command of her director! But

274

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

.1^! :! I

after all, it was her example, in life and in death, that
preached r^ost forcibly to them. The effort she made
to speak — for, indeed, it was more natural for he? to
be silent — exhausted her very much. Thinking she
was about to expire. Father Cholenec wished to anoint
her at once, and ran in haste as far as the church ; but
her calm assurance to Th^r^se, to the Father, and to
others that there was no occasion for hurry, caused
them to believe afterwards that the hour of her death,
as well as the place of her burial, had been privately
revealed to her by God.

During the e/ening of Tuesday Th^r^se left her friend
for a time. In the night she was again watching by
Kateri's side with another woman.^ The sufferer asked
them to take turns in order to get more rest, or they
would be too weary the next day. When Th^r^se re-
mained alone with her, Kateri, who had looked forward
to this moment, said: "I know very well, my sister,
what I am saying. I know the place from which you
came, and I know what you were doing there. Take
courage!" she continued with great tenderness; "you
may be sure that you are pleasing in the eyes of God,
and I will help you more when I am with Him." The
eyes of Th^r^se opened wide at these words, and then
filled with tears. How could Kateri have known what
she had done ? She had stolen off to the woods without
saying a word to any one, and had cruelly scourged her-
self as she prayed from her heart for her dying friend.
But Eaten, it seems, did know about it; and in the
morning early, when Th^rfese wished to stay by her

* For this incident see Cholenec, in " La Vie de Catherine Tega-
koiiita," Carton 0, Jesuit College Library, Montreal.

HER LAST WORDS.

275

eath, that
she made
for hev to
ukiog she
to anoint
urch; but
er, and to
ry, caused
her death,
1 privately

; her friend
atching by
ferer asked
st, or they
Th^rfese re-
:ed forward
, my sister,
I which you
here. Take
•nesa; "you
yes of God,
Him." The
is, and then
known what
Dods without
courged her-
iying friend,
and in the
stay by her

Catherine Tega-

lest she should not be there at the last, she said in a
decided tone: "You may go to the field, Th^r^se; do
not fear. You will be back in time." In this, too,
she was not mistaken.

Father Martin, in describin/;; these last hours of Ka-
teri, gives the following conversation which took place
that same morning, and which shows the touching
simplicity of her Indian friends. "If we must go,"
they said to her, "ask God not to let you die while
we are away." Kateri "vgain assured them that there
was time enough. " On your return you will find me
still living," she said. They went away satisfied, and
God blessed their confidence.

It will be remembered that this was the morning of
Wednesday in Holy Week. What follows is from
Chaucheti^re, who says that the companion of the dying
girl was sent for about ten o'clock that day.

" Marie Th^rdse Tegaiaguenta arrived in the cabin shortly
before Extreme Unction was given. After she [Kateri] had
received all the sacraments, she conversed with her com-
panion. She was failing, however, all the time, and at last,
speaking with difficulty and unable to raise her voice, see-
ing her comrade weeping bitterly, she bade her this last
forewell : ' I leave you/ said Catherine ; ' I am going to die.
Remember always what we have done together since we knew
one another. If you change, I will accuse you before the
judgment-seat of God. Take courage ; despise the discourse
of those who have no faith. When they would persuade
you to marry, listen only to the Fathers. If you cannot
serve God here, go away to the mission of Lorette. Never
give up mortification. I will love you in heaven, — I will
pray for you, — I will help you — *

\i-

1 1

276

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

" The Father who was near by on his knees to say the
prayers for the dying, heard a little of what Catherine was
saying. He kept his eyes fixed upon the fiEtce of Catherine
to notice what was passing, and at the same time he encour-
aged them both. Catherine had her face turned towards
Heaven, and her companion embraced her with one hand,
having the other resting on the cheek of Catherine, and
listening with attention to the last words of the dying one.

" This blessed girl in saying to her companion, • I will
love thee in Heaven,' lost the power of speech. It had
been a long time since she closed her eyes to created things.
Her hearing, however, still remained, and was good to the
last breath. It was noticed several times that when some
acts were suggested to her she seemed to revive. When she
was excited to the love of God, her whole face seemed to
change.^ Every one wished to share in the devotion in>
spired by her dying countenance. It seemed more like the
face of a person contemplating than like the face of one
dying. In this stare she remained until the last breath.
Her breathing had been decreasing since nine or ten o'clock
in the morning, and became gradually imperceptible. But
her face did not change. One of the Fathers who was on
his knees at her right side noticed a little trembling of the
nerve on that side of her mouth, and she died as if she had
gone to sleep. Those beside her were for a time in doubt of
her death.

"When they felt certain that all was over, her eulogy

1 Father Martin, in his account of this scene, says that Eateri»
after her last words to Th^r^, covered her crucifix with kisses and
tears, and finally cried out three times, " Jesus, I love thee ! "
Chaucheti&re himself, in another place, mentions these as her last
words. He and Cholenec were both eyewitnesses of her death. Cho*
lenec says, "At three hours after midday, after having pronounced
the holy names of Jesns and Mary, a slight spasm came on, when she
entirely lost the power of speech."

I V

HER BEAUTY AFTER DEATH.

277

say the
■iDe vras
Bitherine
encour-
towards
le bandy
ine, and
ng one.
♦I will
It had
id things.
>d to the
len some
Vfhen she
leemed to
irotion in-
e like the
CQ of one
fit breath,
ben o'clock
ible. But
ho was on
ling of the
if she had
in doubt of

her eulogy

that Kateri,
;h kisses and
love tbee!"
s bs her last
death. Cho-
g pronounced
on, when she

waa spoken in the cabin, to encourage others to imitate her.
What her father confessor said, together with what they had
seen, made them look upon her body as a precious relic.
The simplicity of the Indians caused them to do more than
there was need for on this occasion, as, for instance, to kiss
her hands ; to keep as a relic whatever had belonged to her ;
to pass the evening and the 9st of the night near her ; to
watch her fiace, which changed little by little in less than a
quarter of an hour. It inspired devotion, although her
soul was separated from it. It appeared more beautiful
than it lu:d ever done when she was living. It gave joy,
and fortified each one of them in the faith he had embraced.
It was a new argument for belief with which God favcred
the Indians to give them a relish for the foith I "

•

Thus died Eateri Tekakwitha, on Wednesday, April
17, 1680. She was twenty-four years of age.

The change in her countenance after death, men-
tioned by Ghaucheti^re, is described at some length by
Gholenec. He recalls the fact that when Kateri was
four years old she was attacked by the small-pox, and
that some marks of it were left on her face. It had
been much more disfigured, however, by her austerities
and by her last illness. " But this face," says Gholenec,
" thus emaciated and marked, changed all at once, about
a quarter of an hour after her death ; and it became in
an instant so beautiful and so fair that, having per-
ceived it at once (for I was in prayer near her), I gave
a great cry, so much was I seized with astonishment,
and I had the Father called, who was working on the
repository for Thursday morning. He ran to see it at
once, and with him all the Indians, at the news of this
prodigy, which we had leisure to contemplate until her

278

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

:4l

burial I must admit frankly/' her confessor continues*
"that the first thought which came to me was that
Catherine might have indeed entered at that moment
into heaven, and that on her virginal body was reflected
in advance a small ray of the glory which was dawning
on her soul ! "

The spirit of Kateri Tekakwitha rejoiced in leaving
its casket of clay ; but the friend who had known her
best still lingered disconsolate by her mat, till at last
the crowd was scattered and none remained but those
who belonged to the cabin wherein she died. Then
the body was cared for in the usual manner. Th^r^se,
whose loving task it was to bring the necessary gar-
ments, now assisted Kateri's adopted sister and the
good matron, Anastasia, in their last sad duties to the
gentle inmate of their lodge. Her hair was oUed and
braided. New moccasins were put on her feet She
was tenderly laid out on a mat, and the entrances of
the lodge were again left open for vi 'itors. A moving
throng passed in and out Many lingered for a long,
long time, unable to withdraw their eyes fix)m the face
of the Iroquois maiden so long hidden by her blanket,
and now so wondrous fair to bvhold. It was aglow
with a miraculous beauty that gave deep joy to those
who looked upon it; with the joy came also a longing
to be pure and holy, and to possess the happiness re-
flected on those noble features. As she lay thus mo-
tionless on her mat, two Frenchmen from La Prairie,
who had come to the Indian village to be present at the
services there on Holy Thursday, wandered idly into
the cabin. They passed close to the body of Kateri.
"How peacefully that young woman sleeps!" said one

. I

«" \

' ''' il

, Mi

'I'i

'■ i
^1

1
^

Q
<

THE BURIAL.

279

of them. It did not occur to thorn that she was dead,
and they were about to pass on. " But tliuy wore
very much surprised," writes Cholenec, " when they
learned a moment after that it was the body of Cathc-
rine, who hod just expired. They immediately retraced
their steps, and casting themselves on their knees at
her feet, recommended themselves to her prayers. They
even wished to give a public evidence of the veneration
they had for the deceased, by immediately assisting to
make the coffin which was to enclose those holy relics."

Thus it happened that Kateri's body, instead of being
borne to the grave, according to the Indian custom, on
an open .bier of bark, covered only with a blanket, was
enclosed in a wooden coffin after the custom of the
white men. This made it easier to identify her remains
later when they were carried to the new village site
farther up the river, to which the Indians of the Sault
moved some years later. They took Kateri's bones
with them as their most precious treasure, and have
kept them at the church ever since.^

When the two Frenchmen who had come to Caugh-
nawaga for Holy Thursday had finished their self-im-
posed task, the body of Kateri was lifted from her mat

1 They are now (1889) in a carefitUy secured chest of polished wood
in the sacristy of the chnrch of St. Francis Xarier du Sault at the
present village of Caughnawaga, about five miles up the river from their
first resting-place. The old wall and priest's house connected with the
above-named church date back to 1720, but the church itself is more
modem. It was rebuilt in 1845. The desk at which Charlevoix and
Lafitau vrrote is still used by the missionary who occupies the prabyUre.
The exact site of this mission of St. Francois Xavier du Sault at the
present time and its four previous sites, also the position of Teka>
kwitha's grave, with her cross and monument, and its direction from
the city of Montreal, are shown on the map in chapter xvii.

280

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

ft
ft

I .'

into the coffin, but the lid was not adjusted at once over
the face. The Indians continued to gaze upon it, and
would not consent to have it covered until she had been
lowered into the grave which they had prepared for her.
This was on the side of the cemetery nearest to the
river, at the foot of the tall cross, where she had loved
to pray. There, on the afternoon of Tliursday in Holy
Week, the Lily of the Mohawks and the " Genevifeve
of New France " was laid to rest So great was the fame
of her sanctity that her grave soon became a much-
frequented spot. Pilgrim after pilgrim has directed
his footsteps to that cross and mound. In the long list
of these we find the names of governors, bishops, mili-
tary commanders, and well-known authors.^ Even after
her bones were removed, the place where Kateri had
prayed, and where her body rested for a time, was
looked upon as sacred ground. From the day of her

* Among those who have shown special honor to the memory of
Kateri Tekakwitha by visiting her grave and spreading her fame by
means of their writings, and who have not been already quoted in this
work, we find the following persons of note : the Marquis Denonville,
Governor of Canada ; Monseigneur de Saint-Valier, second Bishop of
Quebec ; Capt. J. du Luth, commander of Fort Frontenac in 1696 ;
De la Potherie, Commissioner of the King, and author of the " Histoire
de I'Amerique Septentrionale," and of verses in honor of Tekakwitha,
written in 1722 ; Chateaubriand, — see "Les Natchez," livre iv., as
follows : " Les vertus de Catherine (dit-il) resplendirait aprU sa
mort. Dieu couvrit son tombeau de miracles riches et ^clatants en
proportion de la pauvret^ et de I'obscurite de la Sainte ici-bos, et >. ctte
vierge ne cesse de veiller du salut de la Nouvelle France, et de s'int^*
resser aux habitants du desert." Poems on Kateri Tekakwitha have
been written by the Abb^ Rouquette, of New Orleans, and by Rev. C. A.
Walworth, of Albany ; and to crown all these efforts to do her honor,
the touch of a gifted artist of New York State, Mr. Charles M. Lang,
has been brought to bear on this ever-growing theme.

THE TALL WOODEN CROSS.

281

ice over
it, and
ad been
for her.
to the
id loved
u Holy
inevifeve
he fame
much-
directed
long list
ps, mili-
eu after
ten had
aie, was
' of her

tnemoiy of
er fame by
>ted in this
^enonville,
. Bishop of
: in 1696 ;

" Histoire
ekakwitba,
vre iv., as
t aprU sa
clatants «n
108, et >. ctte
it de s'int6-
witha have
' Rev. C. A.

her honor,
IS M. Lang,

burial in 1680 to the present time, it has been dis-
tinctly and unmistakably marked with a tall wooden
cross. Whenever the old one crumbled away, a new
one was erected to replace it John Gilmary Shea gives
the following graphic account of what occurred at her
grave in 1843: —

"The old cross was mouldering; and a new one, twenty-
five feet high, was prepared, in which were encased some
relics of the holy virgin of Caughnawaga. On Sunday, the
23d of July, 1843, the Caughnawagas, headed by their
missioui y and chiefs, repaired to the little river Portage,
near which their former church and village had stood, on
a bluff between that little stream and the lordly St. Law-
rence. The space en the left was soon filled by whites,
drawn thither by interest or curiosity, both of French and
EngUsh origin. The banner of La Prairie and the pennons
of the Sault floated above the crowd on either side of the
highly adorned cross, at the foot of which was a painting
of the Christian heroine. At the signal given by the dis-
charge of artillery on the right and left, the clergy in pro-
cession advanced into the centre, chanting the "Yexilla
Regis." At another discharge Father Felix Martin, one of
the first Jesuits to whom it was given to return to the land
enriched by the sweat and blood of his Society, rose to
address the assembled throng in French. Then, after a
hymn in Iroquois, the Rev. Joseph Marcoux,* the pastor of
the tribe, pronounced a discourse in the guttural language
of his flock, and gave place to the Rev. Hyacinth Hudon,
Vicar-General of Montreal, who delivered a third address in
English, and then performed the ceremony of blessing the

* Author of a very complete Iroquois-French dictionary, preserved
and still in use in manuscript form at the presbytire, or priest's house,
at Caughnawaga in Canada.

282

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

Mil

ii!

cross. That siga of faith was then slowly luio^d, amid the
chants of the Church, the thunder of the cannon, and the min-
gled shouts of men of many climes and races who, differing in
language, bowed to the symbol of a common faith."

In September, 1884, the author of this volume visited
her grave, and found that the cross described above bad
been blown down in a recent storm. It was lying in
broken fragments on the river-bank, near the little en-
closure of wooden pickets surrounding the grave. Pious
hands were soon at work there, however, and on Sun-
day, Oct 5, 1884, another cross was raised. Again a
large gathering of Canadians and Indians assembled to
assist at the ceremony. Bev. Father Burtin, Oblate
missionary, and successor to Father Marcoux, preached
both in French and Iroquois. The following words of
the preacher (which were translated into English and
published in an Albany journal) must have made a
profound impression upon his hearers, the Iroquois
people of Caughnawaga. " There have been," he said,.
" in this village, chiefs renowned in war, who had deal-
ings with governors of Canada, and were widely spoken
of during their lives. Now that they are dead, their
names are mostly forgotten, while the name of Cath-
erine Tekakwitha is well known iiot only here, but
throughout Canada and beyond the ocean."

In the month of June, 1P88, the author, having trav-
elled by the ferry-boat from Montreal to La Prairie,,
and thence driven a few miles westward along the
river-bank, was fortunate enough to stand once again
by the grave of Tekakwitha.^ There, in addition to the

* Tekakwitha's cross and grave may also be reached by a drive of
about five miles acrosn the reservation from Caughnawaga, which is now

HER GRAVE.

283

uid the
he min-
'ermg in

visited
)ve had

ying iu
ttle en-
>. Pious
on Sun-
Again a
[ubled to
I, Oblate
preached
words of
;lish and

made a

Iroquois
' he said^
had deal-
ly spoken
^ead, their
. of Cath-

here, but

iving trav-
La Prairie,
along the
Dnce again
ition to the

I by a drive of
, which is now

new cross, which stood firm and erect within the little
enclosure, a large granite monument was to be seen
lying close beside it, partially unboxed and ready to be
placed upon the grave. It had been sent to Canada
from the land of Tekakwitha's birth. It has since been
set in place, and protected by a strong canopy and en-
closure of wood. The initials of the two donors of this
substantial token are carved on a lower comer of the
monumental stone. It is a solid piece of Barre granite,
in the shape of a sarcophagus, — six feet six inches
long, two feet ten inches wide, two feet six inches high.
On she top a cross is carved, and the following inscrip-
tiun in the Iroquois language : —

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

Apr. 17, 1680.

Onkwe Onwe-ke Katsitmo Teiotsitsianekaron}

The French translation is the exact interpretation given
by M. Cuoq, who composed the Iroquois inscription. He
says that Onkwe Onwe means literally, " The true men ; "
thus the Indians designate all who belong to their own
race. Katsitsiio means " beautiful flower," and is here
applied to Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks. This
title, given to her by the English, is altogether foreign to

a railroad station on the new Canadian Pacific road, and is connected
by a steam-ferry with Lachine, where the steamers touch before going
over the Great Rapid, and where trains arrive many limes a day from
Montreal.

1 English translation, — " The fairest fionmr that ever bloomed
among the redmen." French translation, — " (fett une belle JUur
qui ded fyanouie parmi let Indient."

284

KATEBI TEKAKWITHA.

i 1

thci Iroquois language, as they have no distinctive word
for LUy (nothing more definite than "white flower");
and ifoAat£;A» is a name they dislike, because it was first
given to them by their enemies ; they prefer, therefore;
their own term, Caniengaa. Tekakwitha was a Canienga
and an Iroquois, but she was also, on her mother's side,
an Algonquin. Hence it is that the general name
which applies to the whole red race is used in the
inscription, — Onhwe Onwe ! All " true men " are in-
deed akin to this beautiful flower that bloomed in our
Mohawk Valley.

ve word
ower");
was first
herefoie,
'anienga
er's side,
•al name
d in the
are in-
3d in our

CHAPTER XXV.

THE MEMORY AND INFLUENCE OF KATERI TEKAKWITHA
AFTER HER DEATH. — MODERN CAUGHNAWAGA.

IT has been seen how the waning yet ever-brightening
spark of a saintly life went out among the Indians
of the Sault, and the reader has learned where Kateri
Tekakwitha was laid to rest; but her memory is still
alive at the places where she lived and died, and even
far away among the Indians of the North and West ; and
wherever she is known her influence is still a power for
good. The Rev. P. Fouquet, a missionary who labors
among the aborigines of British Columbia, in a letter
addressed to the Rev. V. Burtin, Cur^ of Caughnawaga,
P. Q., under date of July 22, 1888, says : —

" I have spoken to hundreds of Indian villages of your
admirable Sauvagette [thus he calls Tekakwitha]. . . . Noth-
ing is so useful to our Indians ; her example is a great en-
couragement to tuem in the practice of Christian virtues."

The Flathead (Kalispel) Mission in Montana, with
its large Indian school and thriving settlement of in-
dustrious Christians, owes its origin in great part to the
zeal of a few adventurous Iroquois who migrated to that
region from Caughnawaga in Canada. Among these was
a certain chief called Ignatius the Iroquois. He had
grown up under the shadow of Tekakwitha's cross, and

286

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

after living for a time among bis new friends the Kalis-
pel people, who gained from him and his comrades a
favorable opinion of Christianity, he did not hesitate to
undertake a dangerous journey across the great plains of
the United States in order to obtain for them a mission-
ary. It was in paving the way for Father De Smet, the
Apostle of the Rocky Mountains, that the brave Iro-
quois lost his life. When that Father succeeded after
many difficulties in accomplishing the long journey
from St. Louis in the Mississippi Valley, to the Kalis-
pels in Montana, he reaped a most unexpected harvest
of Indian converts. This was because they still cher-
ished the memory of Ignatius the Iroquois, who from
his youth had reverenced that of Kateri Tekakwitha.
May we not then justly claim for her a shsire in the
success of that KaKspel mission? Was it not her
strong, sweet influence for good that had spanned the
continent at last, and raised the cross aloft among the
redmen of the Bocky Mountains?

Not alone among the Indians of the West, but far
away to the East, and beyond the Atlantic Ocean, the
name of Kateri Tekakwitha is oft«n spoken. In April,
1888, the people of Caughnawaga joined with their
missionary, P^re V. Burtin, in celebrating the diamond
wedding of his aged parents, who live at Metz, in Lor-
raine. The name the Gaughnawagas have given to their
beloved pastor is Takaronhianekon, which means "Two
Skies Together," because he belongs to two countries, —
the land of his adoption, and his fatherland over the
sea. P^re Burtin delights in praising the virtues of
Kateri Tekakwitha, and often mentions her in his let-
ters. Her name has become a household word in the

e Kalis-
irades a
isitate to
plains of
mission^
met, the
•ave Iro-
led after

journey
le Kalis- .
i harvest
till cher-
vho from
cakwitha.
re in the

not her
inned the
imong the

it, but far
3cean, the
In April,
vith their
) diamond
tz, in Lor-
Bn to their
jans "Two
(untries, —
I over the
virtues of
in his let-
ord in the

PORTRAITS OF KATERL

287

missionary's old home on the banks of the Moselle,
which he has not seen for more than thirty years. This
double celebration of a diamond wedding on Soth sides
of the Atlantic proves not only the strength of true do-
mestic affection that neither time nor distance has been
able to obliterate, but also the love and gratitude of the
Indians to the man who foi-sook house and kindred so
many years ago for their sake.

Pictures of Kateri were painted by Chauchetifere
shortly after her death, and were distributed in many
directions. They were first engraved and sent to Eu-
rope by order of Madame de Champigny in the year
1695. One or more of these reached the French Court,
which was then at its most brilliant period under Louis
XIV. The powdered and befrilled ladies of that time
looked with wonder on the rough cut sent to them of a
little squaw in blanket and moccasins, holding in her
hand a cross, and worthy, they were told, to be held
up as a model for the Christians of Europe. She had
indeed lived as a light in the wilderness, and was
looked upon by all who knew her as a lily of purity
and star of faith.

There is a very old, full-length portrait of Kateri
Tekakwitha still hanging in the sacristy at Caughna-
waga, P. Q. Others are to be seen at St. Mary's Church,
Albany, and in the possession of the Jesuits at Troy,
New York. An ideal portrait of her by Mr. Lang, com-
pleted in the early part of the year 1889, is by far the
best representation of her now in existence. The same
artist has also painted her, in a landscape of great
beauty, as just moving away from her favorite place of
prayer near the mission cross on the St. Lawrence. A

288

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

Sister in the Hotel Dieu at Montreal has a quaint col>
ored print, representing her very much as she appears
in the rude, uncolored engraving which accompanies the
account given of her in "L'Am^rique Septentrionale "
by De la Potherie. The illustration in CLaucheti^re's
lite of her, published in quaint style by John Gilmary
Shea, in 1887, is not unlike these two.

What served far more than any pictorial representa-
tion ever made, to keep her saintly memory before the
people of her own village, was the formation of Kateri's
fiand, or Les Sceurs de Catherine, as they were called.
These were young Indian girls whom Th^r^se Tegaia-
guenta banded together after Kateri's death, and incited
to imitate the virtues of her friend, who, as she firmly
believed, was still loving her and helping her in heaven,
according ta her promise. It has already been said that
Th^r^se received by common consent the name of the
one who while on earth had been her inseparablo com-
panion. Hence it is easy to account for the fact that in
a "Life of Marguerite Bourgeois," published in 1852, the
author should have confused the identity of these two
young Indians of the Sault, and given an account of the
Lily of the Mohawks under the name of Th6rhe Tega-
kouita. Their souls were locked together in life ; their
names in death.

While Th^r^se lived, the Caughnawagas gave her the
namo and a part of the love and reverence they had
shown to Kateri herself. When once she had formed
the band known as Kateri's Sisters, and had passed
from among men, then indeed there was nothing left on
earth of the Lily of the Mohawks save lifeleb<^ relics
and what the old writers are pleased to call " an odor of

THE ST. REGIS SETTLEMENT.

289

uaint col-
le appears
[)tiuie8 the
itrionale "
jichetifere's
aGilmary

representa-
before the
of Kateri's
ere called,
^se Tegaia-
Eind incited
she firmly
' in heaven,
}n said that
ame of the
Eirablo corn-
fact that in
in 1852, the
f these two
30unt of the
hSrhse Tega-
tt life ; their

;ave her the
;e they had
had formed

had passed
thing left on
ifeless relics

« an Jor of

sanctity." Onkwe Onwe-ke Katsitsiio Tcioisitsianckaron.
These words, as we have already seen, may be read on
the monument at the foot of Tekakwitha's Cross, but
her bones do not rest there. They were carried to the
modern village of Caughnawaga, and some fragments
of them even still farther from her grave ;^ for at
the time of the French and Indian War the Jesuits re-
solved to divide the Caughnawaga mission, and remove
some of their flock farther away from the dangers of
Montreal. The Tarbells — who as children had been,
captured at Groton, Connecticut, in Queen Anne's War,,
and afterwards became too thoroughly identified with
the Caughnawagas to return to their Puritan relatives,
when the opportunity offered — headed this party sent,
westward from the Sault to form a new settlement.
Choosing Aquasasne, — " the place where the partridge
drums," — a plain east of a slight hill, at one of the
few spots where the rapid-vexed river glides calmly by,
— they began the mission of St. Francis Regis, and threw
up a log-cabin for the Jesuit Father Mark Anthony
Gordon, who accompanied them, hearing as a predtms
treasure part of the remains of Catherine Tchgahkwitha.^
This portion of her remains was lost in a fire which
destroyed the log chapel and its contents shortly before
the treaty of peace was signed between England and
France, in 1763. A new wooden church soon replaced
the rude chapel, and in 1791 this in turn gave way to
the present massive stone church of that mission. The
St. Regis settlement was found to be on the New York
boundary line ; so the village is now part British and

* See Hongh's History of St. Lawrence County.

* Shea's History of the Missions, p. 339.

1ft

i r

ft
K

.1^

290

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

part Aitierican. Methodist and Episcopal missions have
been started there at different times, but most of the
Indians of the place still adhere to the faith of Jogues
and Tekakwithu.

The Catholic Iroquois, — many of them famous as
warriors, — naturally enough, sided with the French
during the long period of our intercolonial wars ; * but
when the Kevolution broke out they lefused to take up
arms against the people of the English Colonies at the
instigation of their British oppressors, as did the Mo-
hawk followers of Brant. Though urged and threatened
by Sir Guy Carleton to do so, they maintained their
neutrality. Some actually joined the American army of
patriots. One of these, Atiatonharonkwen, or Louis Cook,
rose to the rank of captain. During the stirring times of
1812 the settlement at Aquasasne was disturbed by in-
cursions of both American and British troops ; but since
that war came to an end the missions of Caughnawaga
and St. Begis have enjoyed peace and quiet. Their
people have shared in the general prosperity and pro-
gress of this country and Canada. They support them-
selves by means of agriculture and the manufacture of
baskets, sleds, moccasins, snow-shoes, and other articles
ornamented with beads in the Indian fashion. The
Caughnawagas, moreover, are noted for being especially
brave and skilful in the use of every kind of river-craft.
As raftsmen and pilots they are unequalled. The patri-
archal figure of the famous Caughnawaga Indian, Jean

* To this period belong the curious details concerning the tradi-
tional story of the Iroquois mission bell, and its connection with the
raid on Deerfield in the winter of 1703-4, which have been collected by
Judge N. B. Sylvester, in his " History of the Connecticut Valley."

MODERN CAUOUNAWAOA.

291

ns have
t of the
' Jogues

moiis as

French
rs;^ but

take up
33 at the

the Mo-
ireatened
aed their
Q army of
3uis Cook,
g times of
)ed by in-

but since
ghnawaga
jt. Their

and pro-
)ort them-
jfacture of
ler articles
ion. The

especially

river-craft.

The patri-
idian, Jean

ing the tradi-
;tion with the
m collected by
5ut Valley."

Baptiste, with his swarthy face and bright-red shirt,
seen year after year at tlie pilot-wheel of nearly every
excursion-steamer that shot the Great Rapid of the
St. Lawrence on its way to Montreal, will not soon be
forgotten by the many travellers whom he steered safely
to their destination. Others as skilful still dwell at the
same Indian village, ready at any time to board the
steamers as they pass along.

When the Gordon expedition was being fitted out for
Egypt in 1884, an urgent invitation was extended to the
Caughnawaga raftsmen to join it About one hundred
of them did so, and dexterously carried the British troops
through the rapids of the Upper Nile. On their return
they were received in England with marked consider-
ation, and were thanked by Queen Victoria in person
for their services to the realm. They then recrossed
the ocean to Caughnawaga, well pleased with their ven-
ture into foreign lands.

Among these same people of the Sault are lineal de-
scendants of those proud Mohawks with whom the
fiathers of Albany maintained so long the close alliance
formed at Tawasentha, when the foundations of the city
were first laid on land belonging to the most warlike of
the Five Nations. Accordingly, when the Albanians,
in 1886, prepared to celebrate the bi-centennial of their
charter, a deputation of these Mohawks was formally
invited from Caughnawaga by the Mayor of Albany.
On their arrival they were publicly received at the City
Hall as honored guests, the freedom of the city was ex-
tended to them, and they took a prominent part in the
ceremonies accompanying the celebration. They were
present in full Indian costume, both at the opening of

292

KATERI TEKAKWITIIA.

f^»!

tlie city gates, aud at the grand military high mass cel-
ebrated on bi-centenuial Sunday at St. Mary's, the old-
est Catholic Church of the city. Their presence on that
occasion recalled with touching interest the memory of
their first apostle of Christianity, Isaac Jogues, who was
sheltered from the cruelty of his captors by the kind-
hearted burghers of Albany. The sacrifice of his life»
which he offtred for them when he returned to the Mo-
hawk Valley, had brought these Indians to the Chris-
tian faith; and the example of Kateri — their "Little
Sister," as they still call her — had helped to hold them
to it through the vicissitudes of two centuries.

The fervor of these Indian people of the Great Rapid,
whose ancestors were converted from paganism in the
valleys of New York State, has not abated since the days
of Kateri, nor has the work of the Jesuit missionaries
among them been fruitless in lasting results, notwith-
standing the assertion of Kip to the contrary, in his
introduction to "Early Jesuit Missions." The large
congregation of Christian Iroquois still dwelling at the
Sault is in itself a living proof of the success and con-
tinuance of the old mission work. No one could attend
the religious observances there without being impressed
by their sincere and heartfelt devotion to the Christian
faith. The Corpus Christi procession, as witnessed by
the author, in 1888, at the village of Caughnawaga, was
picturesque and edifying beyond description.

■'vi

BS cel-
le old-
)n that
iiory of
ho waa
3 kind-
m life,
iheMo-
B Chris-
" Little
)ld them

it Rapid,
n in the
the days
isionaries

notwith-
y, in his
Che large
ng at the-
J and con-
aid attend
impressed

Christian
messed by
iwaga, "was^

CONCLUSION.

It is for the people of the United States, where many
nationalities and many creeds arc brought into daily
contact, that this book has been written ; and therefore
certain occarrences which took place after the death of
Eateri Tekakwitha, and which have been given at
length in soL^e memoirs and sketches of her life other<
wise comparatively meagre, are here purposely omitted.
Thus we pass by much that might be said of the devo-
tion of people in various parts of Canada and elsewhere
to her memory ; as also the accounts of visits made from
long distances to her grave, and to her early home in the
Mohawk Valley. Steps have been taken towards public
honors in the church, and even to her canonization as
a saint.1 Into these matters it has not been thought
necessary to enter. One exception, however, should be
made. Some things occurred soon after her death
which are so closely connected with the personality of
Kateri herself, and with those who were nearest to her
on earth, that they seem properly to belong to a com-
plete record of her life and times. These are given in

^ See Appendix — Note F, Indian Petition to Rome. — As recently
as July 80, 1890, there was a large and enthusiastic gathering of
Americans, Canadians and Indians at Tekakwitha's grave, pre-
sided over by the Bishops of Montreal, Albany and Nicolet, for
the purpose of assisting at the solemn dedication and blessing of
her newly placed monument.

294

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

:'l

I 1

an account of certain remarkable visions in which
Kateri Tekakwitha appeared to Father Ghauchetiere
and two of her friends in 1680, and twice afterwards to
the same reverend father. The account of these appar-
itions is to be found in "Book Third" of the manuscript
entitled, '* La Vie de Catherine Tegakouita, Premiere
Vierge Irokoise,'* written by Father Cholenec. It forms
a part of the materials in Carton 0, * at the Jesuit Col-
lege Library, in Montreal. A translation of it is here
given. Nothing is added, and nothing taken from the
good father's account ; nor is there any call to make an
apology for the simple faith which glows in his language.
It was his faith and that of many others who knew
Tekakwitha, and thus makes a part of her history.

Cholenec's words are as follows :

" The sixth day after the death of Catherine, this
was Easter Monday, a virtuous person worthy of belief, *
being in prayer at four o'clock in the morning, she
appeared to him surrounded with glory, bearing a pot
full of maize, her radiant face lifted towards heaven as
if in ecstasy. This vision of joy so marvellous was
accompanied by three circumstances which rendered it

* Another manuscript contained in this same Carton 0, which
will doubtless be carefully examined by those who are interested
in promoting the cause of canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, is
that of M. B£my Cur6 of La Chine, dated March 12, 1600, and
testifying to miracles worked through her intercession in his own
parish.

' This person was Father Chaucheti^re. He says in the Preface
to his life of Catherine Tegakouita: " Catherine me porta dans
une vision a faire des peintures pour instruction des sanvages,
etc."

CONCLUSION.

295

which
jhetiere
rards to
3 appar-
Quscript
*remiere
It forms
suit Col-
b is here
from the
make an
anguage.
ho knew
ory.

rine, this
)f belief,*

nmg,

she

ing a pot

leaven as

jUous was

endered it

on 0, which
•e interested
kakwitha, is
2, 1690, and
n in his own

a the Preface
e porta dani
les sauvages,

still more admirable. For in the first place it lasted two
whole hours, during which this person had leisure to
contemplate her at his ease. He did so with a joy and
a pleasure that cannot be expressed, Catherine having
wished by so signal a favor to acknowledge the great
services she had received from him during her life.
Furthermore, this same apparition was accompanied
with several prophecies by as many symbols which were
to be seen on each side of Catherine in her ecstasy ; of
which prophecies some have been already verified, others
have not as yet. For example, at the right appeared a
church overturned, and opposite at the left an Indian
attached to a stake and burned alive. This happened
in the month of April of the year 1680 ; and in 1683,
the night of the 20th of August, a storm, so terrible and
with so much thunder and lightning that it could only
have been caused by the evil spirit, took up the church
of the Sault, — 60 feet long, of stone masonry, — took it
up, I say, at one comer with such violence that, contrary
to all likelihood, it turned it over on to the opposite
angle and dashed it to pieces. Two of our fathers who
were at the church were carried off into the air. A
third, who had run to the house to ring the bell, felt the
cord suddenly wrenched from his hands, and was carried
off like the other two. All three next found themselves
on the ground under the debris, from which they were
drawn forth with much difOiculty; and instead of having
their bodies all mangled by so violent a concussion, they
came out of it with some slight hurts ; this they attrib-
uted to the prayers of Catherine, when they all three
came together again. As for me, said one, I said mass

296

KATERI TEKAKWITHA.

to-day in honor of Catherine. And for me, replied the
other, I was this morning at her tomh, to recommend
myself to her in a special manner. And as for me, added
the third, having for a year past a strong idea that some
misfortune was to befall the mission, I have been every
day since then, and to-day again, to pray to Catherine at
her tomb to deliver us, and I have not ceased during all
that time to importune the superior of the mission to
have Catherine's bones transported into our church,
without knowing why I did it. Behold what has refer-
ence to the overturned church. As for the Indian seen
in this apparition, attached to the stake and burned
alive, that was sufficiently verified some years after,
when an Indian of this mission was burned at Onondaga,
and two women the two following years ; and as we do
not doubt at all that Catherine, who had made it known
so long beforehand, obtained for these Indians the
invincible constancy that they showed in their torments,
we will speak of it at the end of this third book as a
marvellous effect of the power she has in heaven, i

" Finally, the third circumstance of this apparition, so
remarkable, is that in the following year, 1681, on Sep-
tember 1st, and in the year 1682, on April 21st, the same
person had the same vision and under the same circum-
stances ; with this only difference, that in the first
apparition Catherine was shown to him as a rising sun,
with these words which were audible to him : ' Adhuc

xm\

^ Some account of the Iroquois martyr, Etienne, who fulfilled
this prophecy of the vision, has been already given in Chapter
XXI.. For further details see Kip's "Early Jesuit Missions,"
Pages 119-128.

CONCLUSION.

297

lied the
immend
3, added
lat some
en every
lerine at
aring all
issicx to

church,
las refer-
iian seen
d burned
ars after,
>nondaga,

as we do
) it known
plians the

torments,
book as a
ren.*

mrition, so
1, on Sep-
;t, the same
ne circum-
n the first

rising sun,

: ' Adhuc

who fulfilled
,n in Chapter
luit MiBBions,"

visio in dies ; * instead of which, in the two following
ones, she was shown to him as a sun at mid-day, with
thece other words: ' Inspice et fac secundum exem-
plar/ God giving him to understand by this, that he
wished pictures of Catherine to be painted, which have
been worked upon for a long time, and which having
been painted, have contributed wonderfully towards
making her known ; because, having been put on the
heads of the sick, they have worked miraculous cures.

" Two days after the first of these three apparitions,
a<nd eight days after the death of Catherine, she showed
herself to her good mother Anastasia in this way. This
fervent christian, after everybody had gone to bed in
her cabin, remained alone in prayer on that evening ;
and feeling herself finally overcome by sleep she laid
down on her mat to rest. But scarcely had she closed
her eyes when she was awakened by a voice calling her
with these words : * Mother, arise.' She recognized the
voice of Catherine, and at once without the least fear,
she raised herself to a sitting posture and turning
towards the side from which this voice came, she a&w
Catherine standing near her all brilliant with light.
She had half of her body hidden to the waist in this
brightness, and the other half, said this woman, was
shining like a sun. She carried in her hand a cross,
more brilliant yet than all the rest. So much light came
from it that I do not believe one could see anything in
the world more beautiful. I saw her, she continued,
distinctly in this posture, awake as I was, and she spoke
these words to me quite as distinctly : ' Mother, look at
this cross ; oh ! how beautiful it is ! It has been my

298

KATERI TEKAKWITUA.

> },

> i>

''1

' 'il

-1

whole happiness during my life, and I advise yon also
to make it yours.* After these few words she disap-
peared, leaving her mother full of joy, and her spirit so
filled with this vision that after many years she had still
the memory of it as fresh as on the first day. It seems
that Catherine, in gratitude for the assistance she had
received from Anastasia, wished by the sight of that
cross so beautiful and so ravishing, and by the words she
added, to dispose her to bear generously the one that
God was preparing for her ; because she has lost since
then three of her children killed in war, the eldest of
whom was one of the captains of the village ; a disaster
which she bore with heroic constancy, so much had she
been fortified within by this apparition of her dear
daughter.

" Catherine was seen also by her companion, one day
when she was alone in her cabin. She sat down beside
her on her mat, recalled to her something she had done,
and after giving her some advice for her conduct, she with-
drew. As for the rest, the great affection Catherine had
for the cross, and the manner in which she appeared to
her mother Anastasia, gave the idea of painting her
with the cross in her hand as the posture most suitable
to her.

** But God has spoken still more clearly as to the sanc-
tity and merit of Catherine, his spouse, by authentic
testimony. I mean those prodigious graces, and so
numerous, that he has i^lready bestowed and continues
to bestow through her intercession, on every sort of
people." ^

CONCLUSION.

299

ou also
3 disap"
spirit 80
had still
[t seems
she had
; of that
vords she
one that
lost since
eldest of
a disaster
1 had she
her dear

a, one day
)wn beside
) had done,
;t,8hewith-
therine had
appeared to
ainting her
ost suitable

to the sanc-
)y authentic
ices, and so
ad continues
every sort of

The record is ended; and yet one thought lingers.
The moccasin trail of our "Little Sister" leads ever
onward to the lodge of the true God. There, if we
follow, though with steps not half so swift as hers,
Kateri will not fail to greet us with her low, sweet,
friendly Caughnawaga greeting : ** Sago ! "

MODERN CAUGHNAWAGA, P. Q

(From the Landing.)

,'1

■^»

ijj

■m

■»«v,

APPENDIX.

NOTES.

A. LOCATION OF MOHAWK VILLAGES.

n^HERE is much confusion and apparent discrepancy in
^ the various accounts given of Mohawk villages in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as may be seen by con*
suiting the works of O'Callaghan, Parkman, Martin, School-
craft, Morgan, and others. A few prominent and unmistakable
fiEkCts, however, are accepted by all. There were certainly three
principal fortified towns in the Mohawk Valley all through
the early colonial days, built and occupied by the Caniengas
(Kanienkehaka), or " People of the Flint," as they chose to call
themselves, but who were known to the Dutch as Maquaas^
to the French as Agnies, and to the English as Mohawks.
These people were divided into three clans or gentes, each
named for a certain animal, and each governing a town or
castle of its own. Their three towns varied in name and
location, but seem always to have borne the same relation
to one another. As General Clark briefly expresses it :
*' The castles first, second, and third (from the east) corre-
spond to Lower, Middle, and" Upp^, and also to the Turtle,
Bear, and Wolf** Eateri Tekakwitha dwelt at the first, or
Turtle Castle, which was nearest to the Dutch settlers.
These last worked their way up the Mohawk Valley from

,ii

ft f

802

APPENDIX.

the Hudson ; while the Indiaus on their part were also mov-
ing gradually westward, rebuilding their v. \ages after short
intervals, sometimes on the northern and sometimes on the
southern bank of the Mohawk, but always in the same rela-
tive order, — that is, Turtles to the east, Bears in the centre,
and Wolves to the west. '

The following extracts from letters of Gen. John S. Clark
to the author of this volume will be of interest to all who
wish to know what sort of proofs and arguments have been
used in locating the sites of the Mohawk villages which were
in existence during the times of Isaac Jogues and Kateri
Tekakwitha : —

February 10, 1885.

The determination of the exact position of all the so-called
Mohawk Castles at definite dates can never be ascertained. This
you can readily understand by reading Father Pierron's account
in 1668 (Relation, 1669), where he speaks of seven large villages
extending over a space of seven and a half leagues (nearly nine-
teen miles), and that from many causes they often changed to new
locations, where, according to circumstances, they might remain
five, ten, and in rare instances fifteen years. I have identified in
the neighborhood of forty different sites occupied at some time
between 1620 and 1750. Fortunately the very particular account
of Fathe' Jogiies' captivity and the death of Ooupil furnished a
sufficient number of references to the topography of the locality,
to enable me, after many years' study, to identify with almost ab-
solute certainty the exact site of this one castle, Ossernenon.
This gave the key to the second and third. These determined.
Father Pierron, in 1667 (the next year after the three castles were
burned by the French), speaks of visiting the third castle, which
had been rebuilt a quarter of a league above. This gave me a test
fact. In company with some friends living near there, and who
were well acquainted with all sites, as they supposed, where In-
dian relirii had ever been found, I pointed out the precise point
on the map, and said we must find a site here, or my theory must
fall to the ground* They answered that then my theory must

1 .

APPENDIX.

308

e also mov-
after short
rues on the
e same rela-
a the centre,

)hn S. Clark
It to all \who
bs have been
8 which were
1 and Kateri

RY 10, 1885.
i the so-called
irtained. This
irron'B account
1 large villages
18 (nearly nine-
•hanged to new
might remain
ve identified in
I at some time
rticular accoimt
pil furnished a
of the locality,
with almost ab-

j, OSSERNENON.

lese determined,
iree castles were
xd castle, which
3 gave me a test
• there, and who
posed, where In-
ihe precise point
my theory must
my theory must

fail, for certainly if any Iii<lian village had ever existeil at that
point they would have heard Honiethin^ of it. My answer wuh,
•' I have more confidence in Father Pierron than I have in your
opinion." We visited the Hpot, and on inquiring of tlie fanner
who owned the land, if any evidences existed, at the particular
point in question, of Indian occupation, he answered: " We have
found great quantities of relics, and you can find plenty of them
to-day," — OS we did. Since that they have never questioned
facts mentioned in the " Relations."

Qreenhalgh visited all the castles in 1677, and found them on
the north side. His description gives sutlicient facts to warrant
a reasonable probability as to the locations of the four principal
castles at that date, but not absolutely certain. Apparently at
this date the lower castb, Kaghnawaga, was on the west bank of
the Cayudutta, near Fonda; and here my conclusions must end
for the present, until I collect all the facts possible to be obtained
having a bearing on the question. These ai'e references to to-
pography, distances from other known points, and any thin-
that by hint or direct evidence can be used in the solution
of the problem. . . . My present opinion is that your mission
chapel of 1676 was north-west of Fonda, on the west side of
Cayitdutta Creek. . . .

You mention the fact of sm ail-pox prevailing in her town in
1660, and ask, Would they be likely to move the site of the village
for that reason ? Most certainly. I have evidence that they did
remove in 1669, but have never been able to ascertain the cause.
Quite possibly this may have been the reason. This removal, as I
suppose, was made to the west bank of Auries Ci-eek, on top of a
high bill and about a mile west of Ossemenon.

About 1649 the Iroquois entered on their policy of conquer-
ing their neighbors and making of them one family and one
people, as they expressed it. From that date to 1675, great num-
bers were added, — many more than could be provided for in the
way of adoption into families ; consequently they were permitted
to settle in villages by themselves in the near vicinity of the
large ones. In this way was the number increased frim three in
1640 to seven in 1668, and this also accounts for an apparent dis-
crepancy as to numbers in accounts of different writers. One

&U4

APPENDIX.

pnrty fin«Hn^ a villnge in two i>artM near each other would de-
Bcrilxi it iiH ttro ; nnuther woiiM coiiHider it oh one.

I HUH|)ect your petit villnge, Gnndawiigue, wa« one of this char-
acter; thut iH, a Hnmll viUu^u near the greater one. One other fact
occura to me, that may 1)e uf UHe to you. Gandawague wan a
district along the river, — ordinarily meaning " at the rapidH."
A alight variation may make it mean altove or below or the other
$ide ; and so on in numerous relations of localities to the rapids.
It will be found exceedingly ditticult to detenuine the precise
meaning of these words.

In the early part of June, 1885, General Clark, in com-
pany with Kev. C. A. Walworth, of Albany, and the author
of this biography, revisited all the castle-sites in the Mo-
hawk Valley which were supposed to be in any way con-
nected with the lifetime of Kateri Tekakwitha. What
follows was written soon after this expedition.

Auburn, N. Y., June 29, 1885.

Since my return home I have given my time to a review of
all the evidence relating to sites of first and second castles from
1640 to 1680, and have framed a theory that apparently harmon-
izes all the facta, and shall be much obliged for any argument or
presentation of facts that will be inconsistent with it.

Firsts I assume that in all the changes of the Bear clan during
this time, they did not remove more than a mile and a half from
their original position on the high hill ; ^ second, that soon after
1666 they removed to the opposite side of the rive/, on the Fox
farm, where Qreenhalgh found them in 1677, *' on a fiat a 8tone*s-
throwfrom the river." You will rememher that this site was on
an elevated plain, unlike any other site visited.

Now after Ossernenon was abandoned, say about 1660 or 1666,
all subsequent descriptions place Gandawague ttDO leoffues from
Andagoron until 1668, when the people of Gandawague removed
to the Cayudutta (Eaghnaw^aga), and when the accounts all place

1 See map in chap. iv. p. 38, showing the position of Andagoron,
the Castle of the Beara, in 1642.

il !

APPENDIX.

306

vrouW de-

f thin rliar-
le other f»ct .
a^ue wa« a
the rupW**-
or the other
the ravi*|8-
( the precise

ftrk, in com-
i the author
8 in the Mo-
tny way con-
witha. Wbat
tt.

ane 29, 1886.
to a review of
,nd castles from
wently harmon-
ny argument or

lit.

jear clan during
and a half from
, that soon after
ive.', on the Fox

this Bite was on

5ut 1650 or 1666,

two I«»Sf««» *^™
dawague removed

accounts all place
tion of Andagoron,

the two cnstlea near each other, — in Dr. Shcn'M tninnltttiim ttci)
mile*. Theuruticiilly, thin niukcM a change ul' tlirt-e inilt-rt tor the
lower coHtle, — a JiHtance exactly correapouding to that betwiH-u
the high hill at Auriea Creek and Ko^hnuwu^'u un the Cayuduttu,
— the village Anduguron having reiuainetl HulMtantiidly Htation-
ary. I finnly believe that the Hite uu the Fox farm was the one
visited by Qreenhalgh. If this be correct, it dctenuinua approxi-
mately the other ; for they were near each other, one chupel an-
swering for both villages.

On applying the test of distance to the battle-ground,' this is
found correct ; and measuring the four leagues as v;o did to
Teonnontogen, it also corresponds.

Now the removal from the west bank of Auries Creek was not
made bodily, but gradually. The villages were destroyed in Octo-
ber, 1666. They could do nothing in the way of establishing them-
selves in a new position that year, having to make themselves
shelter for the winter. The next year, after the bark would peel,
they could commence building their new houses on a new site,
and during the spring clear new fields for com, and in the course
of the year a partial removal could take place. The palisading
could be completed during the year, and in 1668 the village could
be said to have changed. The new chapel was built in 1669,
and in this year also they were attacked by the Mohegans. When
Gandawague was visited in 1667 no mention is made of a removal ;
but the fact is mentioned of the removal of Teonnontogen a quar-
ter of a league higher up. I conclude that if Qandawague or
Andagoron had either of them been removed, the fact would have
been mentioned, and that indeed they returned temporarily to the
old sites, which may not have been so completely destroyetl as
was Teonnontogen. This will reconcile all the facts, and I am
unable to see any material antagonism at any point. The name
Gandawague must not, however, be confoimded with Caughna*

' This was at Kinaquariones, or Hoffman's Ferry. See Pierron's
account of that battle, translated into English by Dr. Hawley, of th&
Cayuga County Historical Society, in his " Early Chapters of Mohawk
History." See also a topographical note to the same by Gen. J. S.
Clark, referring to Dutch deeds which give the distance of that battle-
ground from Schenectady.

806

APPENDIX.

Jill!

waga, although for a time it may have been transferred to the new
site.

I have Ixen unable to And any data from which to determine
when or about when Ossenienon was tranuferred to AurieH Creek.
The aoking of the Dutch for uieu and horses in 10fi9 to draw pali-
sades, according to the trayulaton, was to refmir their castles, and in
one case for the " castles which you are building." They don't agree.
The name on the Vonderdonck map, 1056, and that on Vischer's,
1669, of " Canagero," give a hint that the transfer had been made
as early as 1605 ; and the very remarkable language of the Jesuit
Fathers Fremin, Pierron, and Bruyas, which describes Qan<la-
wague as " the very place toatered by the blood of Jogtua," etc., almost
leads one to think the removal may have been made as early as
1646; but I conclude that Ossemenon and Qandawogue being
only a mile apart, the description ** thU u the place " would be
sufficiently specific as to locality, the village (people) being the
same. A critical study of the original Dutch may enable us to
determine whether in 1609 they were building a luw or repairing
an old cfMe.

In a letter to Rev. C. A. Walworth, March 3, 1885,
General Clark wrote as follows : —

" Gandawague was in 1677 unquestionably on the hill north-
west of Fonda, about a mile back from the river. A fine spring
on the west bank of the Cayudutta marks the centi-al point of the
village, and the pits some distance to the north were their gran-
ary where they stored their com. A smaller village was probably
near Mr. Veeder's house."

B. THE WORDS "GANDAWAGUE"
"TEKAKWITHA." .

AND

Gandawague may possibly mean, as General Clark has
suggested, neither more nor less than " At the Turtle Vil-
lage." In compound words the Indians frequently drop
syllables, and certain letters are interchangeable as follows :

APPENDIX.

307

) the new

letertnine
ie« Creek,
ilrow pali-
[en, uud in
on't agree.
Viacher's,
been made
the Jesuit
tea Ganda-
etc, almost
as early as
ague being
" would be
e) being the
nable us to
or repairing

h 3, 1885,

B hill north-
\. fine spring
point of the
e their gran-
was probably

AND

al Clark has
le Turtle Vil-
quently drop
le as follows :

KaN^IdA — i%iVAHK — KE
GaN-DA WA OE

Village Turtle At

The name of this first, or Turtle, Castle of the Mohawks
has been written in many different ways, as may be seen by
a glance at the list here given : —

OssERNENOi^r Kachnuge

Asserue Kaghnuwag^

Oneougoure Kaghenewage

Gandawaoub Kahnawake

Gannaouagu Caghnawagah

Gandahouague Cahaniaga

Andaraque Cauohnawaoa

With all this variety of spelling, only three or four dis-
tinct names are represented. An Indian word had no
written form of its own. Consequently an Englishman,
a Dutchman, and a Frenchman, each putting it down in
black and white for the first time, would naturally represent
the sound of the word by very dififerent letters. The three
forms thus arising could not be identified at once as the
same in meaning and sound without a knowledge of several
languages. Since such scholars as Dr. O'Callaghan and
M. Cuoq, however, have taken up the task, new light has
been thrown on the subject, and much that at first sight
seemed hopelessly confused in the early colonial accounts
has been made clear and intelligible.

There is quite as much variety in the different ways of
spelling Tekakwitha's own name as in the case of her birth-
place and early home. Here are some of the forms used : —

Teoakouita
Tegahkouita
Tehgahkwita

Tebgakwita
Teoakwita
Tekakoiiita

808

APPENDIX.

A<i

1 '■...

Tegahcouita
Tekahkouitha

Takwita
Tekakwitha

A grammatical explanation of this name is given in a note
to the " Lexique de la Langue Iroquoise," by J. A. Cuoq,
pretre h Saint-Snlpice, as follows:^

Tekakwitha est la 3 p. fera. sing, de pr^s. de I'ind. du v. tek-
kwitha, cis-locatif de Kkwitha,^ et consdquemment ce mot sigui-
fie : elle approche, — eUe meut qq. ch. en avant.

P' ~ » -■;;*' ^'

' i

C. TAWASENTHA.

Tawasentha, or " The Place of Many Dead," is near the
mouth of the Norman's Kill, just south of Albany. Many
Indians were buried there, as numerous bones and skulls
brought to light from time to time bear witness. School-
craft once visited the spot, and examined these relics. It
was there, too, that the Song of Hiawatha was sung, aa
Longfellow tells us: —

" In the vale of Tawasentha,
In the green and silent valley,
By the pleasant water-courses *^

Dwelt the singer Nawadaha.
There he sang of Hiawatha,
Sang the Song of Hiawatha."

Another couplet might be added to the above, with less
of poetry in it, to be sure, but quite as much or more of
Indian history,—

There the Mohawks went a-fishing ^
In the days of Tekakwitha.

^ Kkwitha, — eloigner, ou avancer qq. ch. ; changer qq. ch. de
place.

APPENDIX.

309

D. MOHAWK TRAILS.

I a note
. Cuoq,

iu V. teh-
lot Bigni-

s near the
ly. Many
Bind BkuUa
L School-
relics. It
J sung, aa

e, with less
or more of

5er qq. ch. de

In the summer of 1885 the Rev. C. A. Walworth, in
company with the author, drove from Amsterdam on the
Mohawk River to Jessup's Landing on the Hudson, follow-
ing as closely as possible the route (described in Chapter
XVI.) over which the Lily of the Mohawks probably
passed in escaping from Caughnawaga to Lake George,
and thence to Canada. An account of this drive was sent
to General Clark, after which the following information
was received from him : —

" The account of your journey is very interesting, especially
that part relating to the fords above and below Jessup's Landing.
I had rewritten my note relating to the trails from head of Lake
George, and enclose the same. ... On the Upper Susquehanna
and Alleghany the present fords almost invariably mark the
crossing-places of the aboriginal trails ; and without doubt the
two fords described above and below Jessup's Landing were
the places of crossing the Upper Hudson in that vicinity. The
same facts will apj ly also at Glenn's and Baker's Falls as now
known."

A copy of the note on trails above mentioned as enclosed
in the letter, is here given : —

"Trails from Lake George. — Prom the head of Lake George
two trails led to the Hudson. The first led southwest through a
valley about eleven miles to the ford below the mouth of Sacondaga,
at present Luzerne, thence along the Sacondaga to Northampton,
striking the Mohawk at the lower castle in the vicinity of Scho-
harie River. The dotted line from the head of Lac du Saint-Sacre-
ment on the map in * Jesuit Relations,' 1665, apparently was
intended to represent fhis route. The curves correspond to those
of the Sacondaga in number and location. From Luzerne a branch
continued down the Hudson about five miles to the vicinity of

310

APPENDIX.

^■'l

Jessup's Landing, where .a crossing was made at the ford above
the falls. This appears to have been the route of Jogues at this
time, as indicated by the distance given of six leagues equal to
fifteen miles.

** The second led southeasterly about nine miles, nearly on the
line of the present railway to Glenn's Falls, from whence were
several diverging lines. One led south along the west bank of
the Hudson. Another took almost an air-line for Schenectady
on the Mohawk, passing between Owl Pond and Saratoga Lake,
and west of Ballston Lake, at the north end of which a branch
diverged to the westward leading direct to the Mohawk Castles.
The French expedition in the winter of 1665 to 1666, in taking
this route, failed to follow the branch leading to the castles, and
consequently found themselves, much to their surprise, in the
near vicinity of the new Dutch settlement at Schenectady.
Southier's maps show this tniil, and several others diverging at
different points. It is believed that from Glenn's Falls a trail led
nearly in a southwest direction, passing along the base of Mt.
McGregor, and somewhere in the Kayaderosseras Valley united
with the branch from Jeasup's Landing, and from thence struck
the Mohawk at present Amsterdam."

A year later the correspondence on Indian trails in Sara-
toga County at the time of Kateri Tekakwitha was resumed
as follows : — ^

" Since my return from Saratoga, I have given all my leisure to
the study of Indian trails in your vicinity. ... I have a manu-
script map, copied from the original in the Paris Archives, relat-
ing to the two expeditions of Courselles and Tracy, 1666. This
map shows that the first, or winter expedition, after leaving Lake
George descended the valley of the Hudson to Fish Creek, thence
passed up that stream, over Saratoga Lake, and over Ballston Lake
to the vicinity of Schenectady. This is the precise route taken
(according to Mr. Sylvester) by Lieutenant Le Moyne in his
winter expedition of 1690 (Northern Wilderness, p. 288), in which
I agree with him.

^The second Courselles-Tracy Expedition, according to the

APPENDIX.

311

i above
sat tbis
iqual to

J on the

Qce were
bank of
jenectady
oga Lake,
a branch
t Castles,
in taking
astlesjand
se, in tbe
henectady.
iverging at
J a trail led
lase of Mt.
liley united
ence struck

Lis in Sara-
as resumed

my leisure to
lave a manu-
rchives, relat-
,1666. This
leaving Lake
Creek, thence
BaUston Lake
ae route taken
Moyne in his
288), in which

cording to the

map, crossed the Hudson at Glenn's Falls, thence passing near and
south of a small lake east of Mt. McOr^or (now known as Mo-
reau Pond), through Doe's Comers, near Stiles' Hill, and near
Glen Mitchell to present Saratoga. This is my understanding of
the map ; and as you will see they followed near the base of Mt.
McGregor, and hugging the bases of the Greenfield (or Palmers-
town) hills, followed substantially the present highway all the
way from Glenn's Falls. The fragment of a trail mentioned by
you was probably a portion of this original Indian pathway.

" From Saratoga, if we take the map as our guide, the expedition
passed near Ballston, and thence slightly curving, proceeded on its
way in a very direct course to the Mohawk Castles. They may
have taken this route, but probably crossed the Kayaderosseras
about half-way between Ballston and La^ce Saratoga, on a trail lead-
ing direct to Schenectady. When a little north of Ballston Lake,
it crossed a path leading from Schuylerville along Fish Creek
and Saratoga Lake to the Mohawk at Kinaquariones (Hoffman's
Ferry). The map, however, makes the two distinct, and without
any connection.

"Three trails led southward from Jessup's Landing, — one in
almost an air-line to Kinaquariones. I suppose that Tegakwita
followed this.

A second branched off from South Corinth, and leading in al-
most an air-line to Orange, passed near the western edge of
Round Lake. A third, taking a southeasterly course, curved
around Mt. McGregor, and led very direct to the great fishing-
station, at present Schuylerville, the ancient Ossarague. Your
Indian samp-bowl [hollowed in the rock] was probably not far
from the crossing-place of tbe two trails."

E. INDIAN DEFENSIVE WORKS.

General Clark, in describing to the writer the defensive
works of the Iroquois, mentioned one locality in New York
State where he actually found the series of hollows in the

Mfbia*

312

APPENDIX.

ground left by the palisadoes of an Indian fortified village.
They showed the exact arrangement of a triple wall. He
also gave, in connection with this subject, several references
to quaint and interesting works in the State Library at
Albany, which were duly examined. Some of these are
given below : —

" You will find in Ramusio, G. B., Venice, 1606, * Navigatione
et Vioggi, volume Terzo, etc.,' relating to America, at p. 381, a
fine two-page illustration of Hochelaga and its surrounding pali-
sade. This, as I understand it, was a Huron village. Arnoldus
MoNTANUS, America, Amsterdam, 1671, p. 136, gives a Susque-
hanna fortified village, with the long houses somewhat irregularly
arranged, and enclosed by a single-line palisade work. Documen-
tary History of New York, vol. iii. p. 9, will show you an Iroquois
village surrounded by triple or quadruple lines of palisades, with
the elevated scaffolds. You will see numerous streams of water
descending to put out the fire, etc. It will require a vivid ima-
gination to make out all that was intended to be shown by
Champlain."

F. INDIAN PETITION TO ROME.

Among the most interesting papers forwarded to Rome
during the last few years for the purpose of forwarding the
cause of canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, is the follow-
ing petition. Copies of it were circulated among the
Catholic mission Indians of the United States, who affixed
to it their own peculiar signatures and marks. It is here
given in the Latin, English and Flathead languages : ^

Noster Pater neater Papa:

Gentis Indicae nostrae, quamvis pauperrima sit et miserabilis, valde
tamen misertus est Conditor noster, nobisque dedit religionem Catho-
licam. Nobis quoque iterata misericordia dedit CATHARINAM
TEGAKWITAM. Sancta baec virgo quae ut nos sumus gentis Indicae

APPENDIX.

313

i village,
all. He
eferences
ibrary at
hese are

avigatione
t p. 381, a
ttding pali-
Arnoldus

a Susque-
irregularly

Documen-
an Iroquois
isades, with
□tts of water
I vivid ima-
> shown by

fuit, cv.m multa fuerit gratia a JESU CHRISTO donata, adolescentula
fact? est optima, magno erga Conditorem nostrum amore tenebatur, et
mortua est bona et sancta: nunc autem gloriosa deget in coelis, ut
credimus, et pro nobis omnibus orat. Virgo haec, credimus, data nobis
fuit magno Dei favore; est enim soror nostra parvula. Nunc vero
speramus fore ut et tu quoque, noster Pater, qui Vicarius es JESU
CHRISTI, favorem nobis largiaris: te toto corde imploramus ut
loquaris dicens: " Vos Indi, filii mei, sumite vobis CATHARINAM
in ecclesia venerandam, quia sancta est et in coelis."

Sunt etiam alii duo, c^ui licet Galli fuerint, nobis tamen sunt quasi
Indi fuissent, eo quod Indos signum crucis edocuere et viam coeli;
ideoque a perversis Indis fuerunt occisi. Eorum nomina sunt
SACERDOS ISAAC JOGUES et FRATER RENATUS GOUPIL.
Hos quoque duos vellemus habere venerandos, ut protectores, ut
advocates.

Quos tres si nobis indulgeas PATRONOS, futurum est ut corda
nostra sint laeta, conversatio nostra bona, et filii nostri perfecti evadant ;
multique Indicae gentis nondum baptizati in ecclesiam Catholicam
ingrediantur, coeli visuri gloriam.

d to Rome

yarding the

the foUow-

among the

who affixed

It is here

lages:

serabilis, valde
gionem Catho-
lTHARINAM
s gentis Indicae

^ Our Father the Pope :

Though we Indians are very poor and miserable, yet Our Maker had
great pity on us and gave us the Catholic religion. Moreover He had
pity on us again and gave us CATHERINE TEGAKWITA. This
holy vi^n, an Indian like ourselves, being favoured by JESUS
CHRIST with a great grace, grew up very good, had a great love for
Our Maker, and died good and holy, and is now glorious in heaven, as
we believe, and prays for us all. This vii^in, we believe, was given to
us from God as a great favour, for she is our little sister. But now we
hope that thou, our Father, who art the Vicar of JESUS CHRIST,
wilt grant us a favour likewise; we beg thee with the whole of our
hearts to speak and say: "You Indians, my children, take
CATHERINE as an object of your veneration in the church, because
she is holy and is in heaven."

There are also two others who, though Frenchmen, yet are as if they
were Indians, because they taught the Indians the sign of the Cross and
the way to heaven; and for this they were killed by bad Indians.

Il'>

M .

^1 7191 APPENDIX.

Their nuDet are BLACKGOWN ISAAC JOGUES and BROTHER
R£n£ GOUPIL. We wish to have theM two alio m objects of our
Tencntioiu as oar protectors and our advocates.

If thoa Invest us these three as our PATRONS, our hearU will be
glad, our behaviour will be good, and our tUldren will become perfect;
also a great many unbqHized Indians will enter into the Catholic
Church and will see the gloiy of heaven.

Lingua KmV$t*i (Anclice, FUtkamd.)

Itt ktt Pofot /u ku Lepnpe.

Ue mi/ kaekonkoint kaeskeligu, u kaeteie, n pen kntunt kaen-
konnemi/ils h. KaeKolinzuten Ai kai^uixeAls Ai Sinchanmen Catbo-
liqne. Negu kaeAikonnemi/ils Ai kaegnize/ils. CATHERINE
TEGAKWITA. Ye stiichemuh pagpagt chikniize ezageil tkaempUe
Ai kueis Ai kutnnt sinkoniis tel JESUS CHRIST, mi/ gest u pogtik^,
mi/gamenchis Kolinzuten, u /n Sinchaumis, gest n pagpagt u t/elil, u
yet^oa csimpiels 'Is'chichemaskat, u kaesia kaes chaushi/ils. Shei
Stiichemish kaentels kutunt kaesinkonin tel Kolinzuten ne/i kaempile
/u kaep sinkusigu.

U pen yet^oa kaenmuselsi t-anui, Ai ku Pogot, kaeksnkonnemi/ils,
Ai ku Ni/kalshelpenzutis JESUS CHRIST, t-esemilko t-kaepuus
kaesgalitem kuks-kolkoelt, u kuks-zuti : « igu kuisigusigult knskeligu,
akaespoteem At CATHERINE 'Isinchaumen, ne/i pagpagt, u
'Is'chichemaskat u eAi."

Negu telzi chesel ue Seme, u pen ezageil t-skeligu, ne/i meyieAem
Ai skeligu Ai staktakenzut Teseimeus, u Ai shushuel ch's'chichemaskat,
gol shei u polstem t-kuaukot skeligu: shei At eszustem KUAILKS
ISAAC JOGUES, u SINSE RENL GOUPIL. Komi ye chesel
negu kaekA'chitenzuten, kaek/chaushizuten. Zu ne ka^iuize^ilt ye
checheAs kaekik'chitenzuten, nem lemt At kaespuus, nem gestilsh Ai
kaezuut, nem yopietilsh Ai kaesigusigult, u nem chgoegoeit skeligu Ai
estemskoli m-kueis Ai Sinchaumen Catholique, u nem uichis
Ai'ls'chichemaskat Ai simpielsten.

THE END.

and BROTHER
• M objecti of our

oorheuttwUlbe
Ubeoomepcffecr;
into the Catholic

pen katnnt kaen-
iinchanmen Catho-
i, CATHERINE
ezageil t-kaemplle
li/ gat n pogtihih,
pagpagt n t/elil, u
chaushi/ils. Shei
iten ne/i kaempile

kaeksnkonnemi/ils,

semilko t-kaqmoi

gosignlt koakeliga.

ne/i pagpagt, u

gu, ne/i meyieAem
ch's'cbichemukat,
nutem KUAILKS
K(»ni ye chesel
ne kaegaize/ilt ye
lis, nem gestilsh Ai
tgo^ipeit skelign Ai
u nem nidus